


Vulcan's Most Eligible Bachelor

by iknewaman



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Humor, Jealousy, M/M, Matchmaking, Multi, Oblivious Jim, Possessive Jim, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-14 18:44:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 33,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9198284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknewaman/pseuds/iknewaman
Summary: What are you supposed to do when your very Vulcan, very single, First Officer asks you to find him a spouse?No, seriously, because Jim hasno fucking clue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not nor will I ever own Star Trek.
> 
>  
> 
> Right, so this is slight AU in that it’s the AOS timeline, but Spock was still engaged to T’Pring when he was younger and the Amok Time incident happened (so just please bear an open mind)

Paperwork was the bane of Jim’s existence.

Never mind the fact that it had upgraded to being on PADDs several decades before his birth, he still sometimes felt the urge to tear whatever medium the work was on into shreds. He really shouldn’t despair so since he was well aware when he accepted the role of captain that boring tasks were included in the role, but damn, he wasn’t expecting them to be this boring. 

The only thing that kept him going was that if he didn’t finish his paperwork and send it in to Starfleet Command, the _Enterprise_ would stop receiving missions and that would make their whole mission out in deep space redundant. 

What was the point of exploring the unknown if you weren’t even allowed to explore the unknown? 

To be fair though, all of the reports written by the members of the Starfleet issued starships contributed to Starfleet’s database on deep space which helped them gain more knowledge of the universe and draw up more detailed maps. Even though it was three years ago since he was assigned to take on the five-year mission, Jim's excitement still hasn’t diminished; he’s still super stoked over being given this privilege and about being allowed to travel around all of space.

It was for those two reasons, and maybe a little bit that he felt a certain sense of accomplishment whenever he finished his paperwork, that he forces himself to read through every document and report that came his way before focusing on other things. Several years at Starfleet has helped him learn how to prioritise, and he’s glad to say that he’s been doing pretty well with that.

He’s just finished writing his evaluation on Chekov’s performance during the last away mission when there’s a beep from the intercom.

“Enter,” Jim calls out absent-mindedly, re-writing a sentence in the report. It sounds too clunky, and even though he hates writing this stuff he can’t allow himself to hand in some shoddy work; it’s either the best or nothing at all.

He hears the door slide open, and then a familiar voice greets, “Good evening, Jim.”

Jim smiles and looks up at his guest. “Mr. Spock. How good to see you.”

Spock inclines his head, standing in his customary stance with his hands clasped behind his back. “And you.”

The man looks as he always does, pristine from top to bottom. His sleek hair is in its usual bowl cut, not a strand out of place, and his blue science uniform looks like it’s been ironed with Spock already in it, perfectly neat and straight. Though then again, that could be due to the fact that Spock has a body that consists of sharp lines and angles, and he always stands like he’s doing his best in mimicking a ruler.

The image has Jim smirking to himself, and he needs to bring his hand up to cover his face in order to hide it from Spock. Leaning back in his chair, he asks, “Well, what can I do for you, Mr. Spock?”

The strangest thing happens then.

One second Spock is staring at him in his usual stoic manner, the next his cheeks _stain green_. 

Jim finds himself frowning.

It takes Spock a moment, but he eventually manages to quietly utter, “I need you to find me a spouse.”

Silence drops over the two of them. 

Sudden, and utter, silence.

Crickets might as well have put on a benefit show for starving kids in Zaula, that’s how silent it was.

Jim quirks his lips and gives his head a small shake. “I’m sorry, I think I’m a bit hard of hearing. Could you repeat that, please?”

Spock looks instantly uncomfortable, and _wow_ , that’s something he’s never seen before. “Jim.”

“Holy shit.” Jim breathes. 

“If you would please curb your scepticism.” Spock tells him dryly.

“Holy _shit_.” Jim repeats, sitting up straight. “You… you want to get married?”

Spock hesitates momentarily, then says, “Affirmative.”

“Why? To who?” Jim asks, then stops. “Wait, why do I need to find them?”

“I do not currently have anyone in mind.” Spock admits.

“No one?”

“No one.” Spock confirms.

“I don’t get it. Then why do you want to get married?” Jim asks, his expression shifting into one of confusion.

Spock seems to have come prepared with his explanation, because he immediately starts in on the reason at a measured pace. “As you know, Vulcans are touch telepaths, and therefore we place high importance on maintaining a good balance of the mind. From a young age we are taught how to manage our mental landscapes, undergoing several exercises and activities in order to strengthen our hold on it. We are able to do this well into adulthood, however there reaches a certain point in our lives where indubitably the mind deteriorates.”

Jim nods along, brows furrowed. “Alright…” He says slowly, following so far.

“Mental links with other beings can help alleviate the degeneration somewhat, but a mental bond with another being can help maintain our mental landscapes and activities. Due to this fact, our species as a whole have attempted to ensure that no Vulcan shall succumb to the decay of their mind. At a very young age we will be paired with someone with who we share the highest mental compatibility with, to whom we refer to as a bondmate.”

Jim’s eyes alight with recognition. “I’ve heard that word before.”

“Indeed.” Spock confirms. “As you recall, I used to have one.”

“T’Pring.” Jim says in realisation, his eyes hardening. Man, Jim wasn’t usually one to hold grudges or bouts of murderous rage, but T’Pring was one person who can incite both of those things in him. 

When Spock had asked him to accompany him down to Vulcan for his bonding ceremony, he thought he’d just be going along and acting as a sort of ‘best man’ character. He hadn’t expected T’Pring to halt the ceremony just as it was coming to a head, and he certainly hadn’t expected her to pick Jim as her representative in a fight to the death against Spock for her. 

It was one of the most terrifying battles of Jim’s life, since in either scenario he’d come out as the loser. If Spock killed him, then he was dead, that was definitely a given as being something bad; _but_ if Jim killed Spock, he would’ve killed one of his closest friends and members of his crew, and honestly, if that had happened Jim’s pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to get a proper night’s sleep for the rest of his life.

It was therefore damn lucky that Bones had a hidden trick under his sleeve, a hypo filled with a liquid that mimicked cardiac arrest, and stabbed Jim with it. Jim still claims it’s the one and only time he was happy being pierced with a hypo. So, Jim’s body had momentarily shut down, and Spock had been declared the victor in that fight. But apparently seeing his captain’s lifeless body had snapped the man out of his animalistic trance, and he had bowed out of a bond with T’Pring. 

Jim thinks it’s one of the best decisions the guy has ever made, because seriously, who would marry the person who pitted you and one of your closest friends against you? It was a damn good thinks Bones’ quick thinking had gotten them out of the situation, because Jim honestly has no idea how things would’ve ended up otherwise.

“T’Pring.” Spock affirms. “However, as you are aware, she refused our bond and instead eloped with another. Due to these developments, I find myself without a bondmate.”

“So what you’re saying is that if you don’t get a bondmate, your mind will decay when you reach a certain age?” Jim reiterates slowly.

“Exactly.”

Jim rubs at his chin, deep in thought. 

This… was pretty bad.

He doesn’t know much about mental or telepathic activity within the Vulcan community— or much about the Vulcan community as a whole, actually— but if what Spock says is true then it could lead to some dire situations, the top one being that Spock could die. 

The thought sends a shudder through Jim. No, unacceptable; that can’t happen.

He looks to the man once more. “I do want to help, Spock, but… again, why do I have to do it?”

“The arrangement must be conducted by someone trusted by the individual, as they must go through the process of finding suitors, sorting through them, and then finally selecting one.” 

“You’re going to have suitors?” Jim asks incredulously, eyebrows rising.

“Indeed. Even though you show disbelief, I am rather sought after on Vulcan.”

Jim flushes and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate you weren’t a catch. It just… this situation is news to me.”

“I am aware. As Vulcans we do not generally reveal our customs to outsiders.”

“But you told me.” Jim points out.

“Because I trust you.” Spock retorts plainly.

Jim smiles fondly, a feeling of warmth spreading through his chest. The words remind him of how close he and Spock have grown since they first met, working side by side so well that it had bled into their personal lives. It was good to know that Spock thought him to be a close friend just as much as Jim did. 

Still, he doesn’t think he’s an entirely good choice for this task. 

“Hang on,” Jim realises suddenly. “Can’t your dad just do it?”

“He has already done so once, and failed.” Spock replies, and it could just be Jim’s imagination, but he sounds kind of dejected. “He is permitted no more attempts.”

Jim leans back in his chair, going back to thinking. This Vulcan custom is pretty strange for him, it seems to have a lot rules and regulations, but then again it does sound like something Vulcans would be fond of. 

Honestly, he would love to help Spock out, he’s a great guy and Jim genuinely believes he deserves the best things in the universe handed to him. Whether Jim can find that best in the world, though… that’s a whole other problem.

Jim’s never been good at keeping permanent partners, and he imagines he’ll be even worse finding one for somebody else. His extent of romantic knowledge is the one crush he had on his fifth grade teacher, and again on his high school science teacher. Outside of that there’s been nothing more than a string of one night stands, so he has no idea how to go about finding a _spouse_ — an actual long time commitment thing— for Spock. 

But then again… 

Thing is, Jim feels like he knows Spock pretty damn well, and he also considers the guy to be one of his two best friends. So, in his mind it’s only right that Jim help Spock find someone he’ll want to spend the rest of his life with.

It’s a pretty weak reason, but it’s the main one that stays at the forefront of his mind when he nods and says, “Okay.” 

Spock’s shoulders seem to sag with relief, and Jim realises the guy must have been real nervous about the outcome of this talk.

“So what do I do?” He asks.

“It is simple. You gather suitors who you believe will be potential matches for me, and attempt to select just one based on the research you have gathered.” Spock explains.

Jim can’t help the snort of laughter. Seriously, _research_? It might just be Spock’s wording, but Jim can’t help but find the idea that even when it comes to finding spouses Vulcans try to do research beforehand. Fair enough, Humans do it too, but ‘dating’ just doesn’t sound as technical as ‘research’.

“Right. No problem.” Jim says, a small smile still playing at his lips. Fucking research. “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.”

“I will attempt to do so.” Spock says, a slight drawl to his voice.

Jim’s lips quirk up. “You doubt my abilities?”

“I always doubt your abilities to some extent.”

“Cheeky bastard.” Jim chuckles, then waves in Spock’s general direction. “Alright, get out of here. I’ve got some _very_ important work to do putting together a list of suitors for a dear friend of mine.” He emphasises loudly.

Spock inclines his head, and Jim spots a slight curve to his lips. “We cannot leave this friend of yours without your expertise.”

“Exactly,” Jim replies, playing along. “So if you’d just, you know, _piss off_ , that’d be great.”

“Then I will leave you to it, Captain.” Spock announces, and turns on his heel.

Jim watches from the corner of his eye as Spock exits his quarters, the doors sliding shut behind him. He guesses the guy has other business to tend to since he didn’t go back to his own quarters through their joined bathroom. Always busy, that Spock.

Jim smiles to himself, then looks down at his PADD, ready to get started on this task. What he sees instead is the glaring evidence that he has an uncompleted report left to finish, and Jim is once more reminded of how _fucking terrible_ paperwork is. 

He curses under his breath. Yeah, there’s no way around it; he’ll have to finish this before he can get started on Spock’s spouse hunt.

*

Alright, so he hadn’t managed to get started on Spock’s favour, but in Jim’s defence it was because he’d planned on hanging with Bones after his shift ended, and he’d just finished up his paperwork just as their meeting time had rolled around. Jim didn’t like choosing between his two friends, but in this case one of them was a task that could be put on hold, and the other was a guy who would yell at Jim for monopolising his time and then wasting it by not showing up.

Jim shows up at Bones’ quarters with his own bottle of Arulian wine, and when he’s let into the room finds Bones has already set up two glasses on the table along with his own bottle of…

“You’re drinking whiskey.” Jim says accusingly, taking a seat opposite his friend.

“What of it?” Bones replies, twisting the cap of the bottle and pouring himself a double.

“Just didn’t expect you to keep to Earth alcohol.” Jim says, indicating the label on the bottle’s side. “Distilled in Aberdeen, Scotland. I think you’ve been hanging out with Scotty too much.”

“The only time we spend time together is when he finds his way into my Sickbay.”

“Doesn’t stop the man from having good taste, huh?” Jim teases, opening up his own bottle and filling his glass halfway.

Bones shrugs. “I’m more of a brandy man myself, but I’m open to suggestions.”

“Then may I suggest trying out the ‘reverse cowboy’ the next time you have se—“

“ _Alcoholic suggestions_ ,” Bones stresses, throwing him a glare.

Jim raises his eyebrows and primly argues, “Well, you didn’t specify.”

Bones rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his drink.

“Did you have any patients this shift?” Jim asks, picking up his glass.

“Not a single one.”

“Then I don’t get why you’re so grumpy.” It’s not like Bones was being overly grumpy right now, but just more so than usual. Jim had thought maybe had something happened during his shift to put him in such a mood, but apparently not.

Bones sighs. “Even though I daily lament the fact that my patients get injured in the dumbest ways, they’re highly more preferable to doing paperwork which is what I’m forced to do when Sickbay is empty.”

Ah, so that’s the reason.

Jim grimaces, then raises his glass. “To one day ridding ourselves of that damn paperwork.”

“Wishful thinking,” Bones comments, but still clinks his glass against Jim’s, and together they take a sip of their drinks.

Jim lets out a deep breath once he’s swallowed, the taste of the wine heavy on his tongue. Damn, it tasted nice.

“Good stuff.” Bones comments, and pours himself some more whiskey, a single this time around.

“Yeah,” Jim agrees, nodding. He suddenly sits up and looks to Bones with a wide grin. “So, you’ll never guess what Spock asked me to do today.”

“I’m sure it was something highly logical.” Bones replied, rolling his eyes and taking another sip.

Jim shakes his head, and blithely says, “He asked me to find him a spouse.”

Bones chokes on his drink, which is incredibly considering it was just a sip. Jim immediately pats him on the back, helping the man clear his throat, but Bones just swats him away. After a few gulps of air, his friend looks up at Jim and gruffly asks, “He _what_?”

Jim is grinning with glee. “I know, right? How crazy is that!”

Bones stares at him, perplexed. “Why would he ask you that?”

Jim shrugs, but offers a vague explanation. “We’re good friends and he trusts me.”

Bones is staring at him with that look of confusion still on his face. The guy looks like he’s thinking so hard that he might pass out from it. Eventually he drops his head and huffs, “Honestly, Jim, aren’t you and Spock together?”

Jim’s head jerks back. “What? No way!” He denies vehemently.

What the actual fuck?

“Alright, I thought wrong then.” Bones amends, but Jim still can’t wrap his head around what his friend had said not just a moment earlier.

“You seriously thought Spock and I were together?” He asks.

“Me and everyone else on the ship.” Bones admits.

Jim stares at his friend. “You’re joking, right?”

Bones levels him with an incredulous look.

“ _Everyone?_ ”

“Everyone.”

“Holy shit.” Jim sits back, stunned. “Why?”

Bones snorts. “Jim, do you fucking have eyes?”

“What?”

The man shakes his head and grumbles, “Never mind.”

But Jim can’t just ‘never mind’ this. That’s one of the weirdest things Bones has ever said, and despite his occupation as a more-than-competent doctor, the man has said some really weird things. But it’s not even the fact that Bones thought he and Spock were together that bothers Jim, but that Bones thought that he and Spock were dating and _Jim hadn’t told Bones_. 

That was crazy. Bones is one of Jim’s best friends as well as his oldest, and he tells the guy literally everything, even the weird sexual stuff he doesn’t like hearing about but sadly has to as the ship’s doctor. Jim has no brain to mouth filter when it comes to Bones, and that just shows how comfortable he is around the guy. Fair enough, Bones does rip into him on a regular basis, but so does Jim, and they’ve worked out a great relationship based on a foundation of insults.

“So you’re not together, and Spock wants you to find him a spouse.” Bones says, probably attempting to get them back on the original topic. It is an interesting topic, but Jim still kind of wants to talk about why his best friend got it into his head that he was dating his first officer. “Again, why?”

“It um… apparently it’s Vulcan custom to have someone the individual getting married trusts make all the arrangements, and since Spock’s dad can’t do it I have to.” Jim explains.

“Why exactly can’t his dad do it? It’s his boy, isn’t it?”

“He’s only allowed to set Spock up once, and he already did that before with T’Pring.” Jim sees Bones’ eyes alight in recognition, probably recalling the events of the last and only time they saw her. “So yeah, since that went to hell it’s now my turn.”

“To arrange a marriage for your Vulcan first officer?”

“You know he’s my friend too, Bones, not just my first officer.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright, but you still need to arrange a marriage for him.” Bones intones.

Jim nods. “Looks like it.”

“You could’ve said ‘no’, Jim.” Bones points out.

Jim scrunches up his nose. He doesn’t know why, but that idea just doesn’t sit well with him. “Nah.”

“What do you mean ‘nah’?” Bones asks, frowning. “You could’ve just let Uhura handle it instead.”

Jim instantly shakes his head, struggling to find the words to explain why he has to be the one to do it. 

It’s weird, a few hours ago he was shocked and surprised at being offered this task— this very _important_ task— but now that he’s taking care of it he really wants to do his best. He wants Spock to get the best partner there is. The guy deserves it, he’s really a genuinely great guy despite the cold way he comes off. 

He’s one of the few people who will put up with Jim’s moods, and will sometimes bring him alcohol when he’s working late even though Spock himself doesn’t drink. He may claim that he’s got no connections to emotionalism, but the guy is actually pretty considerate.

“It’s just…” Jim starts, unsure as to how to go about it. “It… I feel that on this ship, I’m the one who knows Spock the best. I know his likes, his dislikes, what he’s like as a person, and we both hang out a lot during shifts and also during our free time. I’d say I have a pretty good understanding of the guy.”

Bones is looking at him kind of funny. His eyes are narrowed and when he speaks it’s with a deliberately slow voice, “But Uhura and Spock did use to date.”

Jim bites his lip and nods, thinking that yeah, alright, Bones is right about that, but they did break up. And so he tells Bones exactly that. “But they broke up.”

“And? They still dated.”

“Yeah, but they must’ve broken up for a reason. Clearly they weren’t a match.”

“And you and Spock are?” Bones asks, raising a brow.

Jim sighs and rolls his eyes. “Please, stop projecting your weird fantasy on me. I still don’t know how you thought we were dating, you’ve literally seen us together.”

“Exactly.” Bones drawls, and the way he says it makes it sound like Jim’s the idiot.

“You need to stop being so damn cryptic, Bones.” Jim pouts, getting slightly annoyed.

“I’m not being cryptic, I’m just trying to contain my disbelief with you.”

“Why?”

“Too many reasons to count.”

Jim snorts. “Dick.”

“So,” Bones starts, “you have to set Spock up with someone—“

“Arrange a marriage.” Jim interjects.

Bones rolls his eyes, but changes it, “Arrange a marriage for him because you’re the second most trusted person he knows after his dad, and this must be done because of Vulcan custom?”

“That’s right.”

Bones rubs at his forehead. “That’s so weird.”

Jim shrugs. “ _Kaiidth_.”

Bones looks to him, eyes tired. “What?”

“It’s a Vulcan saying meaning ‘what is, is’. _Kaiidth_.”

“Did Spock teach you that?”

“As a matter of fact he did.” Jim says proudly.

Bones stares at him for some longer, then lets out a deep sigh. “I can’t keep up with these Vulcans. Their customs are too weird for me.”

“It’s a cultural difference, Bones. It’s not up to us to say what the Vulcans are doing on their own planet is wrong or right, we can’t expect to judge them by Human standards.”

“I still don’t like it.” Bones proclaims.

“Do you like anything?” Jim asks with a smirk.

“I like silence and you leaving me the hell alone.” Bones retorts sharply.

Jim barks out a laugh, then takes a sip of his wine. Once he’s swallowed he looks to his friend, a smile playing at his lips. “Anyway, you wanna help in this spousal hunt thing?”

“I do not, but I do want to know everything about it as well as regular updates on how it’s going.” Bones says matter-of-factly, taking another sip of his whiskey.

*

It takes Jim two days before he realises that he’ll actually need Spock’s help in order to start off somewhere with the task. 

He’d had an idea to first make a list of potential suitors to go through, but when he sits down at his desk and opens up his PADD he realises he has no potential suitors, and _then_ he realises that despite being pretty damn good friends with Spock he has no idea what the guy looks for in a partner. All he knows is that he and Uhura had dated, but he couldn’t draw much from that except the fact that Spock has excellent taste in women.

He guesses he could tryd and put together something anyway just from the things he knows about the guy, like how he takes his tea, the fact that he enjoys chess, and which journal articles he’s fond of re-reading the most, but… 

See, Jim knows Spock, but what if he doesn’t know him _enough_?

It is entirely possible that he could mess this up, and considering that this is something he absolutely _cannot_ mess up at any cost it’s probably best to get the subject of the project involved.

Jim picks up his communicator and presses down on the ‘call’ button. 

“Spock, come in.”

There’s a pause, then Spock’s voice floats through with some background noise in the mix. “Spock here.”

“I need your help with something. I’m in my quarters and would appreciate it if you could come over.”

“Certainly, Captain. I will join you once I have concluded my meal.”

“No rush.” Jim assures him, “Kirk out.”

He drops his communicator onto his desk and looks back to the PADD. The note page is frustratingly blank. There’s nothing on it, not even a title. Jim decides to add one in just to stop it from looking so sad. He clicks on the screen and holds his finger over the keyboard, but nothing comes to mind.

Several minutes pass with Jim staring down at the PADD so intently he’s surprised he doesn’t burn a hole in it. Finally he sits back with a discontented sigh, eyes slipping shut.

Fuck, he can’t even think of a title. Why is this so difficult?

His intercom suddenly beeps, and Jim straightens up, eyes falling to the door. He clears his throat and calls out, “Enter.”

The door swishes open and in steps Spock, looking as meticulous as ever. 

“You required my assistance, Captain?” He opens.

“Yeah.” Jim says, a smile on his lips. He motions at his bed. “Please, have a seat.”

Spock raises a brow, but does as he’s told, padding over to the bed and sitting down with an enviable amount of grace.

Jim picks up his PADD and swivels his chair around to face Spock. “So,” He starts. “I want you to know that I’ve taken on the task of finding you a spouse very seriously.”

“That is comforting to hear.” Spock says.

“Yep.” Jim nods. “However, even though I know you as a friend, I realise I don’t know you as a lover.”

For the second time Jim watches as Spock’s cheeks flush green, and damn it, he can’t stop himself from feeling slightly elated at the sight. Spock _never_ blushes, never expresses any emotion beyond dry wit and sarcasm. The fact that it was due to Spock’s mind immediately jumping to something dirty just adds to Jim’s giddiness.

He chuckles, and scolds, “Get your mind out of the gutter, Mr. Spock. What I mean is that from my point of view I can’t properly put together a list of traits that you look for in a lover. I certainly know what you like to do in your free time and what books— sorry, journal articles— you like to read, but beyond that I’m pretty clueless. That’s why I need _you_ to tell _me_ what you’re looking for in your ideal significant other.”

“I see.” Spock says slowly. His cheeks have lost most of their green hue, but there’s some traces left.

“Makes sense, right?”

“Your logic has merit.” Spock admits.

“Cool, cool,” Jim nods. “So, what’s the most important thing you look for in a partner?”

It takes Spock a moment to think, and Jim lets him do so. There’s no need to rush this, it’s a very delicate process and it’s best that Jim get all the details about what Spock looks for in a partner before getting started. It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant it may seem; Jim’s going to make note of it and keep it in mind when looking for potential spouses for Spock.

Oh my God, potential spouses. 

When he says it like that, the reality of it hits him straight in the face. Jim all of a sudden can’t quite believe it. They’re looking up a possible husband, wife, or anything outside of that spectrum for Spock to marry. To spend the rest of his life with. His _life_. That’s a damn long time.

“Intelligent.” Spock announces suddenly, breaking Jim out of his reverie. It takes a few seconds before he realises what the guy has said, but when he does so he instantly types it into the PADD.

“Great, great.” Jim says, nodding along. “Not really surprised at that one, but good to know. What else?”

“I would prefer it if they were a critical thinker.”

“So, logical then?” Jim jests with a smirk.

“I believe they are synonymous.” Spock admits after a moment.

Jim lets out an amused hum, but types down Spock’s answer. “Alright, so we’ve got intelligent and a critical thinker. Anything else?”

“They should not be opposed to my career as an officer at Starfleet.”

Jim’s eyes jump up to Spock. “Someone would really have a problem with that?”

“I am not certain, but I would personally wish for my spouse not to curb my duties aboard the _Enterprise_ or any future duties I have at Starfleet.”

Jim reckons that’s a pretty good point, and makes note of that too. Damn, he really hopes Spock’s future partner won’t want him to leave Starfleet. He was a valuable asset on away missions and a fun guy to be around during their down time. Besides, who else was supposed to hold Jim back from doing reckless things when on away missions? 

_Bones?_

Bones would probably let him walk to his death if Jim had pissed him off that day, regardless of their many years of friendship. It’s a miracle Jim’s even here with how many times he’s endangered his friend’s life during away missions.

Spock says, “I would also like for my future spouse to be compassionate.”

Jim’s head jerks up. “Compassionate?”

Spock nods in reply.

“You sure?”

“I am certain.” Spock affirms. “Why do you sound so surprised, Jim?”

Jim clears his throat, ashamed at his reaction. “Sorry. I um, I guess I just didn’t expect it. It is an emotion after all.”

“Indeed it is, however, I believe as I am lacking in compassion it would be preferable if my partner possessed the trait.”

“You’re compassionate, Spock.” Jim counters.

“Jim, please do not be insulting.”

Jim scoffs, but a lopsided grin still makes its way onto his lips. “Alright, fine. So you want someone who evens you out in a way?”

“In a way.” Spock confirms, repeating Jim’s last words.

Jim adds that onto the list and looks through the answers he’s got typed down. It’s a good start, but it’s pretty vague. He glances up at Spock and asks, “Could you say if you’re looking for anything more specific? These are all pretty general traits.”

“Not for all Vulcans.” Spock replies.

Jim frowns at the comment, and his eyes jump down to the list. Ah, right. He understands what Spock means. “You’re telling me there’re no compassionate Vulcans?”

“I am not sure, as ‘compassion’ is measured differently by each individual.”

“How would you measure it then? Or actually, how would you describe it?”

Spock falls quiet, and several moments of silence pass.

“How about you tell me what an act of compassion is for you? Give me an example.” Jim offers instead.

Spock nods. “An example of compassion would be listening to someone in need of comfort, and offering them assistance.”

“That is nice.” Jim agrees, typing down the answer.

“You yourself possess this trait, Jim.” Spock points out.

Jim looks at him and smiles. “Nah, I just enjoy lending people an open ear whenever I can.”

“That is an act of compassion.” Spock argues.

“Let’s agree to disagree,” Jim says, not wanting to get into the specifics of what compassion is right now. Any other day, sure, but not today. Looking down at his PADD he asks, “So, you think I’ll be able to find someone like this?”

“I would hope you would.”

Jim bites his lip and nods, finishing up his typing. “Yeah… I just don’t know if realistically I can find this exact person for you.”

“You asked me what traits my ideal partner would possess, not realistic.”

Jim sniggers. “I suppose I did.”

He finishes off the last words then holds up the PADD for Spock to look at. “Is this alright?”

Spock’s eyes quickly scan the screen, then he nods. “It is satisfactory.”

“Cool.” Jim says, turning the PADD back to himself. “Now I’ve got a starting point.”

“Was this information useful?”

“Yeah, of course.” Jim says, glancing up at his friend. “I had no idea what I was doing before, but like I said, now I have a starting point.”

“I am glad I could be of assistance.” Spock nods, then smoothly stands from the bed.

“You can still hang around if you want.” Jim tells him. He wouldn’t be opposed to it. Actually, he’d prefer it if Spock stayed. Jim always got way more stuff done when the guy was there and working on his own things. Must have something to do with being in a studious environment that his this effect on Jim.

“I would not be opposed to that.” Spock muses. “I have some documents I have yet to complete, and I can just as easily finish them here.”

“Awesome.” Jim smiles up at the guy.

“I will retrieve them and join you shortly.” Spock tells him, then heads for the joined bathroom.

“Alright, I’ll save you a spot.” Jim calls after him, grinning at his own joke.

He looks back down at Spock’s answers, going through them again. Jim was telling the guy the truth when he said this was a good way to start off his research, but he still can’t help but feel like something’s missing. The list has all the qualities Spock is looking for in a possible partner, but it looks kind of empty in a way.

Jim thinks it doesn’t really show Spock for who he is, it’s just general stuff that he seeks in another that’ll make being with them easier. There’s nothing mentioned about his love for cooking, especially Malaysian food, or how he has a tendency to clean when he’s bored. 

In all honesty, those are essential things to know. Not for Spock, but for whoever his future spouse is. They need to know the kind of many they’ll be signing up for, who they’ll be spending the rest of their years with, and Jim reasons that it’ll also be easier since people might self-eliminate themselves.

Now this, Jim thinks, is where his role as Spock’s friend comes into handy. All this knowledge he has about the guy, most of it useless outside of just being a considerate friend, channelled into this project.

Just as Spock comes back into the room, PADD in hand, Jim turns to him and asks, “Hey, Spock, what would you consider your biggest selling point?”

Spock stops short and blinks at Jim. “Why do you wish to know?”

“I’m making another list, this one with your good points.” Jim explains, motioning at his PADD. “I thought it could help in finding you a spouse if they know what kind of person you are too. If they don’t think they’ll match up with you then they’ll just self-eliminate themselves, you know?”

“I understand.” Spock nods curtly.

“Right, so uh, what’s the best thing about Spock?” He asks, throwing the guy a dazzling smile.

“I have a long list of achievements that I have accumulated throughout my life, both academically and professionally.” Spock starts.

“Um, okay…” Jim says slowly, his smile falling.

“I underwent the accelerated course at Starfleet academy, graduating within three years as opposed to the customary four. Following that I was assigned aboard the _U.S.S. Redemption_ as Head Science Officer, and during my time there developed a simulation known as the _Kobayashi Maru_ which was later implemented into—“

“Woah, woah,” Jim interrupts, holding up his hands. A lopsided grin makes itself onto his face, but he can’t help it. Spock is essentially quoting his résumé at Jim, and this is supposed to be a matchmaking session. “This isn’t a résumé, Spock, you can stray outside of your academic and career achievements.”

Spock shifts slightly where he's stood, looking as uncomfortable as Jim has ever seen him. Man, he's just seeing a totally new side of Spock lately. An emotional side. 

He kind of really loves it.

“Just see it as making a dating profile.” Jim proposes, and his mind immediately jumps on the example. Oh, maybe he should look at templates of dating profiles to get some inspiration. That’d be brilliant. Jim marks that down as something he’ll have to check out later.

Spock remains resolutely silent, looking down at Jim with his dark brown eyes.

“You’re good at chess?” Jim offers, feeling sorry for the guy. He wonders if Spock maybe has low self-esteem, or maybe he just isn’t used to selling himself like this. Jim’s got loads of experience selling himself, both on paper and person, so it’s a good thing he’s here to steer Spock through this.

“I am adequate at chess.” Spock repeats awkwardly.

Jim lets out a huff of laughter, shaking his head fondly. Did Spock even know how unintentionally funny he was? He couldn’t believe he was struggling so much with just listing a few things he liked about himself.

“You know you can say pretty much anything. Like you enjoy reading extensively, or you like your hair, or you can verbally bitch slap Bones when you’re really in your element.” Jim lists off.

“I…” Spock starts, then after a few seconds finishes with, “enjoy debates.”

“Alright, cool,” Jim nods encouragingly, typing it down. “In what way?”

“I enjoy partaking in them as well as observing them.”

Jim finishes his typing then looks up at Spock with a big grin. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Spock throws him a look, and Jim is totally unsuccessful in covering up his snort.

“Anyway,” He says, trying to move things along. “What else is good about you?”

“Jim, I am not certain I can answer your inquiry.”

Jim frowns at him. “Why not?”

“You cannot ask me to identify my best qualities as I am the subject in this matter.”

Jim frowns at him momentarily, but it eases when he understands where Spock’s concerns are coming from. “Oh, you think your answers won’t be genuine? Or biased, I guess.”

Spock nods. “Indeed.”

“I suppose you are right…” Jim purses his lips and looks down at the PADD. So far they’ve only written down two things, and that’s nowhere near enough.

He has a sudden idea and looks up at Spock. “I can do it.”

Spock looks relieved, his expression softening perceptively. “If you are not opposed to it.”

“Not at all,” Jim assures Spock, waving away his worries. He immediately opens a new page in his notes and entitles it ‘Spock’s Good Points – Jim’s POV’. “I’ve actually got quite a bit to say about you, so this should be a breeze.”

“I am relieved to hear that.” Spock says, a trace of concern still lingering in his voice.

Jim lets out a chuckle and throws the guy a knowing look. “You can relax now, Spock, I’m not going to ask you anything else. I can take it from here.”

Spock offers Jim a curt nod, then picks up his own PADD and gets started on his work.

“You know what’s really good about you, Spock?”

Spock peers up at Jim and pulls that trademark ‘single eyebrow lift’ look.

“When you say you’re going to do something, you do it. No pussyfooting around, no procrastination— you just do it.”

“It is a desirable quality in a First Officer.”

“Also just in a person in general. Means that when I assign you a job I can trust you’ll finish it.” Jim hums, typing out that first point into his PADD. “You also always have backup copies of all the documents we get sent, as well as printing them out on paper, which I gotta say, is a pretty weird habit.”

“It is in case the technologies on the ship fail us and we lose all of the documents stored on our databases.”

“Yeah, but we can always sync them back up when on a Starfleet base.”

“We can never determine what the probability of that is if we were to encounter technological difficulties.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” Jim smiles. “What I’m trying to say though is that you’re reliable, and you always have at least two backup plans in case something were to go wrong. Oh! And I love when you cook that dish you said your mom makes whenever you go home—“

“Adas polo.”

“Right, that. Absolutely love it. You’re really good at cooking, that’s nothing new, but you’re especially good at making Asian cuisine.”

“You are aware I enjoy the flavours, and therefore it would make sense that I would recreate the dishes.”

“I know, but _still_ ,” Jim stresses, “It’s so damn delicious. Also you’re always in a good mood after you cook, so it’s prime time to ask you for favours then.”

Jim grins, continuing to type all of these points onto his notes. He speaks haltingly as he keeps listing things off, simultaneously trying to type everything that’s coming out his mouth. He can feel himself getting on a roll and doesn’t want to stop in case he loses his groove.

There’s so much about Spock that makes him a real catch, and Jim never would have thought this bit of the project would be so easy. He keeps throwing out anything that crosses his mind, all the things he likes about Spock, and continues to keep a running commentary as he types it all down.

He briefly glances up at Spock who has been eerily quiet during Jim’s rant, and sees the guy is already looking at him, a faint touch of green on the apple of his cheeks. Damn, this is the _third_ time Jim gets to see this. Honestly, it’s not losing its charm.

“What?” He asks, offering a small smile.

Spock tilts his head, then looks back to his own PADD. “Nothing, Jim."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! :D
> 
> So from your votes when I asked whether I should post my next oneshot in one go or in several chapters, most of you wanted oneshot. I realise now I made it sound like the oneshot is done, when in fact it's not, so sorry for the misleading comment! It's going to take some time to finish it, but in the meantime I've got this story which is already done, and I'll just update it once a week :)
> 
> So, hope you enjoy this one while you wait :)


	2. Chapter 2

Jim’s just about to get started on organising Spock’s answers from the interview when Starfleet Command messages him, informing him that the _Enterprise’s_ next mission is to do three cargo runs to New Vulcan— all from three different locations.

Usually Jim would despair about missions like this, thinking them a waste of time when they could be going further into deep space and exploring new, wonderful (or sometimes terrible) things. However, he knows that the Vulcan colony is in dire need of materials to help them rebuild their infrastructure, and just because Jim himself doesn’t enjoy simple missions it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t help. 

Besides, Spock will be glad to get to visit the colony. Maybe he’ll meet up with his dad for a bit.

Their first destination is Farglo IV, and the cargo is already set to be taken away by the time the _Enterprise_ arrives. It takes about a day to move it onto the ship, and once that’s done they haul it all to New Vulcan at casual warp speed three. The two planets aren’t far apart and Jim doesn’t think it’s necessary to spend so much power on getting there. It only takes one and a half days anyway, max two.

Now, Jim thinks, he’ll be able to get some time get to work on Spock’s notes. He’s planned on re-arranging them so that they make sense somewhat— at least to him— and highlighting the most important qualities he should focus on when searching for potential spouses. It should have been a simple task, but unfortunately there are some problems down in the engineering department which requires Jim’s help, so once more Spock’s task has to be put on hold. It takes him longer than expected to help the team in engineering, two things seemingly breaking when one gets fixed, and by the time he’s done finishing up the last bit of reparation they’ve already landed in New Vulcan’s docking station.

The docking station was one of the first things that was built on the colony, and Jim’s immensely thankful for it. If it didn’t exist they’d have to beam down all the cargo set by set, and that’d take almost three times as long as delivering it all at once. Having all the cargo removed from their hangars should take at most a day, and since Sulu and Spock have chosen to take on that job, Jim’s free to do whatever. There’s not much to do on New Vulcan at the moment, and he can always return to his ship if he wants, but instead Jim decides to pay an old friend of his a visit.

“Jim,” Spock Prime exclaims when he opens the door. “What a surprise.”

“Liar.” Jim retorts with a lop-sided grin. “You knew the _Enterprise_ was dropping off cargo, don’t act so shocked.”

Spock Prime’s lips twitch, and Jim knows he’s hit the nail right on the head.

“Still, I do hope my visit is a good surprise.”

“It always is.” The man returns, opening the door further. “You know my door is always open for you.”

“You say the sweetest things, Spock.” Jim teases, stepping inside.

“Please, refer to me as ‘Ambassador Setok’ while you are here.”

Right; he doesn’t like being referred to as Spock from an alternate universe, but prefers ‘Ambassador Setok’ instead.

“But I like the name ‘Spock’.” Jim pouts. “Besides, ‘Ambassador Setok’ doesn’t roll of the tongue as nicely.”

“I am well aware of that, yet it is a necessity to keep my identity hidden.” Spock Prime returns, shutting the door gently. He strolls past Jim and heads further into his home. “Come along, then.”

Jim trails after the man, taking in his surroundings. Spock Prime’s home is just as he remembers it. Sparsely decorated save for a few meagre belongings on the shelves along with some actual books. Jim had gotten him some of those, having wanted to share some of his favourite stories with the man. Spock Prime had gazed down at the books, and the look of wistfulness that came over his face had Jim thinking that maybe the Jim of his timeline had done the same.

Once they’re inside the kitchen, Spock Prime turns to him and asks, “May I interest you in a beverage?”

“Whatever you’re having will do.”

“I am consuming _Shi’nak_.”

“Okay, maybe not that.” Jim grimaces, remembering the last time he’d tried that tea. It was basically like drinking hot water, except worse somehow.

There’s a gleam in Spock Prime’s eyes at Jim’s words, and he ambles towards one of the cupboards. “I believe I still have the coffee you brought with you on your last visit.”

“That’ll do.” Jim smiles. He watches him go about preparing the coffee, thinking that for someone who doesn’t drink it he sure knows how to make a damn good cup. Jim has an inkling the man have had some previous experience making it for a certain captain of his.

“Despite knowing that the _Enterprise_ was dropping of cargo, I was not aware you were to visit.” Spock Prime mentions.

“I wasn’t really, but Sulu and Spock took over managing the drop-off, so,” Jim shrugs. “I wasn’t going to argue against them, not when I could visit my old buddy.”

“Now it is you who says the sweetest things.” Spock Prime teases, eyes glimmering. “Regardless, I am pleased to see you.”

“Me too.” Jim returns with a smile, genuinely glad to get to see him. They so rarely get to meet, or even vidcall, what with Spock Prime being busy with his work and Jim flying to every corner of known space. “So, what’ve you been up to since we last spoke?”

“There has not been much excitement in regards to my personal life, but much progress with the construction of the colony.”

Jim smiles encouragingly.

“We have completed our final plans on the city’s infrastructure and are set to begin implementing them once all of the cargo has been delivered.”

“Yeah, we’ve got two more cargo runs to do for you guys; Mmunomi II and Cesaro, I think. Are we the only ones doing these cargo runs?”

“I believe the _U.S.S. Maltova_ is also aiding in delivering materials.”

Jim nods. “That’s good.”

The coffee has finished brewing, and Spock Prime goes to fetch a cup to pour it into. He gently blows at it, then takes a sip.

“You don’t have to do that,” Jim chuckles at the man’s queasy expression.

“I wish to.” He replies, smacking his lips. It’s strangely adorable, and very sweet the way he’ll try out the coffee first to make sure it’s not too hot for Jim. Handing the cup over, Spock Prime asks, “What of yourself, Jim? What has occurred in your life?”

“Weird thing happened actually…” Jim starts, curling his hands around his coffee. “Spock asked me to find him a spouse.”

Jim doesn’t know what kind of reaction he was expecting from the man, but he’s pretty sure it wasn’t a knowing nod.

“So it is that time.” He declares, voice a soft rumble.

“So this isn’t a joke?” It’s not that Jim thinks it is one or anything, he just wants to be certain. Honestly, it’d be a pretty fucked up joke if it was one, but… yeah, he just needs to make sure.

Spock Prime’s eyebrows rise in surprise. “Why would he jest about such a matter?”

“I… yeah, I suppose that was a pretty dumb suggestion.” Jim admits lamely.

“There comes a time in every Vulcan’s life where their mind decays, and therefore it is of utmost importance that they have a bondmate so as to avoid the repercussions.” He explains, picking up his own cup of tea off the kitchen counter. Jim hadn’t even realised it was there.

He hums in response, nodding. “Yeah, that’s what Spock said too.” He suddenly frowns. “Wait, will that happen to you too?”

“It will not, as I already have a bondmate.”

Jim’s eyebrows jump in shock. 

_What?_

This is news to him.

“What? You do? Who is it?” He asks excitedly.

“That I cannot divulge.” Spock Prime says, bringing his cup to his lips.

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that.” Jim complains childishly.

“Unfortunately it is a secret I must keep.” He says, and Jim can hear an ounce of longing in the man’s voice.

He narrows his eyes at Spock Prime. Jim’s got some idea as to why the man won’t tell him who his bondmate is, and he’s pretty sure it has something to do with the alternate universe which he can’t know about. It’s most likely for his own protection, being kept in the dark, but he still doesn’t like it. Not when he’s involved in the matter.

“So you have been chosen as Spock’s matchmaker.” Spock Prime announces, trying to steer the conversation back to the original topic.

“Essentially, yeah.” Jim says, taking a sip of his coffee. It’s damn nice.

“How are you handling your task?”

Jim sighs. “Honestly, I have no idea where to start. I want to find Spock someone great— the absolute best— but I don’t know how to go about that.”

“What have you done so far?”

“I’ve basically interviewed him, asking what he looks for in a partner and what he can offer someone else, but I don’t know how to take all of that and use it to find him someone fantastic. Because seriously, the guy deserves the best of the best.”

Spock Prime smiles knowingly. “I think finding this ‘best of the best’ will be easier than you expect.” 

He sounds amused, and it drives Jim slightly crazy because there always seems to be a hint of secrecy to his words.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Jim asks, suspicion working its way into his voice.

“Many things.” The man replies with a teasing smile.

Jim sighs and drops his head. “Great. Super helpful.”

He doesn’t know why he thought of asking the guy, it’s not like he’ll know what his counterpart in this universe is looking for. They may be the same beings in essence, but they grew up in different circumstances, experienced different events and met different people, which means that somewhere they split off into two different beings.

Man, this was tiring to think about.

“I believe I can be of assistance.” Spock Prime announces after some time.

Jim looks up at him, raising one eyebrow in disbelief. “How?”

*

It turns out that when Spock Prime said he could ‘help’, what he meant was that he could essentially send out the equivalent of a mass e-mail to all single Vulcans in the colony’s database which states that S’chn T’gai Spock of Vulcan, respected Starfleet officer and a hero of his no-longer-there home planet, is seeking a spouse. 

_Also_.

Also.

He’d made sure to attach Jim’s Starfleet e-mail address to the message so that everyone who is interested in Spock know exactly who to contact.

It’s just _swell_.

As it turns out, Spock is highly sought after. The response is incredible; Jim’s communicator has been blowing up with messages ever since the announcement, and his Starfleet e-mail inbox is so flooded he’s forced to move some of them over to his personal account. They’d departed from New Vulcan barely a day ago, but the messages just keep coming, and coming, and coming, and Jim has no idea how _stop_ them from coming.

He drags his hands through his hair, mussing it up fantastically. He has no idea where to start here, and he’s not sure if he should or wait until the messages stop trickling in. 

But what if they never stop?

Jim makes a grab for his communicator and opens up a personal message to Spock Prime.

_[To: The OG]  
Why are all these people interested in Spock??? There’s like a million prospects_

He’s barely put it down when two more messages drop into his inbox.

“Can you guys maybe just _chill?_ ” Jim tells his communicator, glaring down at it. In response it vibrates, indicating he’s received a new message.

_[From: The OG]  
I am sure you are exaggerating._

Jim shakes his head and speedily types out a reply.

_[To: The OG]  
I don’t think I am_

_[To: The OG]  
Seriously how is Spock so popular on the colony? He doesn’t even live there_

It takes a few minute before Jim gets a response.

_[From: The OG]  
It is true Spock does not currently reside on the planet, but his reputation has made him well renowned amongst our race. He is the first Vulcan to deny entry into the VSA in favour of attending Starfleet and thus becoming a well-respected officer, a hero for his attempts in saving the planet of Vulcan, and he is not entirely displeasing to the eye._

Jim lets out a snort.

_[To: The OG]  
Easy now, that’s yourself you’re talking about_

_[From: The OG]  
I stand by my points._

Jim’s glad to know that even cross-universally Spock is, in essence, a smart-mouthed asshole.

Looking back over Spock Prime’s previous messages, Jim supposes he is right. Spock is the first Vulcan to not attend the VSA only to go into Starfleet, he’s a damn good officer, and he’s nowhere near bad-looking. These are apparently all attractive qualities for a Vulcan, but Jim personally prefers the more Human side of Spock. There’s so much more to the guy than what’s on paper, like how dry his wit is or how he’s able to piss off Bones to such extents that it drives him to the bottle.

Would they still want to marry him if they knew that? Maybe Spock isn’t like this with other Vulcans, though. Maybe he’s influenced by the crew to fit in more with them; to be less rigid and uptight, and relax just that little bit more. The _Enterprise_ does after all consist of predominantly Humans, so it is a plausible concept.

Now that Jim thinks about it, every time they’ve visited Vulcan in the past Spock has seemed to be stiffer than usual, throwing Jim disapproving looks when he tries to make him laugh during serious meetings. He’s always chalked it up to his dad being present at those, but maybe Spock acts like that around Vulcans as a whole.

His communicator beeps. Jim looks down and sees another message has come through into his inbox. He holds back a frustrated sigh.

How are there _still_ messages arriving? He had no idea there were so many single Vulcans. Weren’t they all supposed to have bonded at a young age like Spock?

It suddenly occurs to Jim that after Vulcan’s destruction most of them must have lost their spouses. 

A feeling of incredibly guilt comes over him, and he mentally berates himself for being so frustrated with the situation. He’d signed up for it after all, so he should be prepared to handle everything that comes with the task. 

It’s no wonder these Vulcan are seeking a spouse, especially since what Spock had explained to Jim about their minds crumbling unless they had a partner who could help them achieve balance of the mind.

Jim suddenly feels very, very sorry for the remaining Vulcans.

*

It’s been a day since the cargo run and Jim really must stop putting off writing up his report on it. The sooner he gets it over and done with the better.

Now if only he could convince his body of following his mind’s wishes.

He really does intend to get started on it, but he decides that he need to grab a quick meal first. It is in no way or manner a form of procrastination, he just genuinely needs to fill his stomach with nutrients before facing off with his work.

The doors slide open with a ‘ _schwip_ ’, and he steps into the mess hall to find it relatively empty. He instantly approaches the replicator and makes himself a chicken sandwich and coffee, making sure it’s extra strong since he’s sure he’ll need it when grappling with the report.

Grabbing his tray he turns, scouring the room for a small two person table.

“Jim!” A voice calls, and he turns towards it. He spots Bones sat at one of the four person tables, beckoning for him to come over. 

Jim approaches his friend’s table, sliding into the seat next to him and offering a nod in greeting. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“I know you think I basically live in Sickbay, but sometimes I’ve got to eat.” Bones motions down at his plate of fettuccine alfredo pasta.

“Weird,” Jim comments. “I always thought you got your sustenance from your patients’ fear of you.”

“That too.” Bones nods, taking a bite of his food.

“You really should work on your bedside manners. It is what makes a doctor so good, after all.”

“Write it in my evaluation if you’re so concerned about it, and I’ll write about the many, many times you’ve damn near given me a coronary due to your stupidity.” Bones counters.

Jim muses on his friends’ words, then concedes, “True.”

“How’d the cargo run go? Easy enough?” Bones asks. Luckily he’d been on shift during the run so he didn’t have to play any part in it, something Jim knows the guy was glad for.

“I don’t know, I barely played a hand in it.” Jim shrugs, taking a sip of his coffee.

Bones levels him with a chiding look. “Jim.”

“Well, it’s not like I didn’t want to,” Jim defends. “Sulu and Spock wanted to take over the management process, and you know how rarely I get time off during missions so I let them have it. Went to visit Ambassador Setok instead and then worked on Spock’s thing.”

Bones scowls, then the next second his face clears up in understanding. “You mean the spouse hunt?”

“Yeah.” Jim says, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Why couldn’t you help them when you were done with whatever you needed to do? I wouldn’t think it’d take that long to… work on the thing.”

“Well you’d be wrong,” Jim scoffs. “There are so many damn single Vulcans who are interested in Spock.”

“Really now?” Bones asks, raising an incredulous eyebrow. His feelings on Spock are very clear, and he probably can’t understand why anyone would want to marry the guy. Jim thinks it’s because half the time Bones doesn’t know whether he likes Spock or not— as a friend that is— and he’s pretty sure Spock thinks the exact same thing about Bones.

“The guy’s like… a hot celebrity there, everyone wants a piece of his ass.”

Bones grimaces. “Please don’t describe him like that.”

“What, it’s true!” Jim counters, then fishes out his communicator. “Look at this; this is the number of e-mails I’ve received in the past day since our cargo run.”

Bones’ eyes widen as he takes in the number, and he emits a low whistle.

“And this isn’t even all of it. There were so many messages coming in that I had move some of them to my personal account just because I was worried the communicator would break down from the influx.”

“Well I’ll be damned.” Bones drawls. “Spock really is the Vulcans’ most sought after bachelor.”

Jim pockets his communicator. “He damn well is. I’m kind of really proud of the guy.”

“So what’s your next step then?”

Jim bites his lip, then awkwardly shrugs. “I… I guess I’m going to have to read the e-mails.”

Bones’ expression changes to one of utter sympathy. In any other case Jim would smack it off his face, but right now he feels he really needs his friend to stand with him in solidarity.

“Yeah.” Jim huffs out.

*

Jim’s had his meal, he’s written half of his report, cleaned up his room a bit, and organised his desk even though those last two weren’t at all necessary. He can’t even lie to himself anymore; he’s absolutely procrastinating so that he doesn’t have to get started on reading the e-mails sitting in his inbox. He’s actually midway through polishing his pencil holder when he receives a message from Spock with his completed report attached, and it makes Jim feel incredibly guilty for postponing helping find his friend a spouse when he promised he would.

Sighing, Jim tells himself that he’ll spend the next few hours finishing his report _and_ looking through the e-mails he’s received, and only once he’s done that is he allowed to go to sleep. It’s a pretty strict rule, and he’s not sure he won’t be able to ignore his own deadline, but he’ll damn well try.

The second half of the report ends up being terribly shoddy, and Jim knows it’s, He can tell how poor it is with every word he types, but he just doesn’t have the energy to properly go through it and make it more coherent. He’ll just aim to finish it for now, and tomorrow he’ll go through it once more and edit it so that it flows better. He knows that he won’t hand in a bad piece of work, because even if he hates the task he wants to show Starfleet Command that he’s doing his resolute best. 

Once he finishes typing out his last sentence he saves it twice just to be on the safe side, then opens up his e-mail.

Yep. Still loads of unread messages in his inbox.

Jim rubs a hand over his eyes. Seeing them all already makes him tired, but he forces himself to click on the most recent one. Thankfully it’s in Standard, but there’s a voice in the back of Jim’s brain that wishes for some of them to be in Vulcan so that he can toss them away. There’s no sense in trying to read messages in a language he can’t understand. 

Jim gives his head a quick shake and starts in on the first sentence, eyes intent as he follows the lines of words. Mid-way through he realises he’s lost himself somewhere along the way. He’s been reading the sentences, but not taken any of their meaning in. 

He tries again, but it happens once more. 

It takes Jim two more tries before he realises that maybe it’s best if he gives his brain an hour to recover in between his report and Spock’s task. He decides to take a quick twenty minute nap followed by a speedy workout which thankfully manages to wake him up somewhat. Just for good measure he goes into the bathroom and splashes his face with water several times, then dries himself off with a towel.

Taking a seat at his desk, Jim tries reading the first e-mail again.

This time, things go better.

It’s slow-going, but at least it’s going. Jim files through most of the prospects and goes over what they’ve written, bit by bit. Honestly, they all pretty much read the same, and he doesn’t know to choose which ones that might have the potential of becoming Spock’s spouse. His notes from his interview with Spock doesn’t really help in this scenario, since all the messages basically say something along the lines of:

_Dear Jim Kirk,_

_I am (insert name) and I have an interest in marrying Spock. I would like to be considered in his list of potentials._

_Thank you._

_Sincerely,  
(insert name again)_

There’s nothing else. Not even a holo or anything. Well, Jim supposes that since Vulcans put such high importance on mental compatibility then appearances probably matter little to them. It’s actually a good way to approach dating and Jim thinks maybe he should try it out sometime. He knows he’s damn well guilty of judging people based on looks before anything else, but he’s trying to do better and catch himself before he draws conclusions based solely on someone’s appearance.

Jim really has no idea what to do with all these generic messages, so he just keeps clicking through them, trying to gauge if anyone stands out.

The only thing he notices after almost fifteen minutes of clicking through various e-mails is that a fair number of them are from male-identifying Vulcans, and it occurs to him that he never thought to ask Spock if he swung any certain way or all around like Jim.

He pulls out his comm and contacts his first officer with a, “Spock, come in.”

The answer is near instantaneous. “Spock here.”

“Do you have a preference in gender?”

There’s a beat of silence, and Spock’s voice is measured when he says, “Why do you ask, Captain?”

“It’s for your spouse project.”

Another brief silence, then, “I do not have a preference in gender.”

Jim nods. “Alright, thanks. Kirk out.”

He flips back to his e-mail inbox, biting the inside of his cheek as he closely browses through the many, many messages. 

Honestly, Jim’s over his head here.

The number of applicants is frankly overwhelming, and even though he did agree to find several beings that he believes will be a good match for Spock, he finds himself stuck. It’s not that he doesn’t know what he’s looking for— except it kind of is— but more that the messages aren’t offering much in how they’re like as beings; what they do, what they like, what they enjoy. It’s all just been introductions. 

Jim decides ‘fuck it’, and opens up a new message. He’s going to take the simple route, and that is creating a mass e-mail that he’ll send to the applicants, asking them to send back the answers to three questions.

1) What do you personally look for in a significant other?  
2) What are your likes and dislikes? (Please provide at least five answers for each)  
3) What do you personally believe you can offer your significant other?

He goes through it one more time just to be safe, then when he deems it satisfactory, hits ‘send’.

Jim leans back in his seat, breathing out deeply. 

Alright, so he didn’t exactly complete the task, but he did make some sort of headway, even if it feels like he’s just postponing the inevitable. The amount of replies had just been so much, and he still can’t quite believe. Spock has so many prospects, and on some level he’s jealous. He’s never received this much interest from anyone, and Spock has a whole _planet_ vying for his love— attention— whatever it is the guy chooses to give out. 

It’s all still so crazy, and no matter how many times Jim tells himself that, it doesn’t stop being crazy.

He rubs at his eyes, deciding that when the next wave of e-mails comes in he’ll actually take this task more seriously and try harder. He will find Spock a spouse. 

He just hopes the number of applicants dwindles down this time around so he won’t get a headache when he sees the number of replies.

*

Jim walks onto the bridge early for once, ready to start his shift in just a few minutes. Sulu lazily looks over in his direction when he hears the doors open, then does a double-take when he sees who it is. Jim doesn’t blame the guy. He usually rushes onto the bridge with just a few seconds to spare, throwing everyone a grin as they roll their eyes at the fact that he’s once again come in at the very last minute. 

It’s just a habit Jim can’t get out of, no matter how hard he tries.

He looks over to Spock’s station and sees the guy is already there, which is not surprise. He’s always ready to go when it comes to his job.

Jim walks over to his first officer and claps him on the shoulder. Spock looks up at him and Jim leans in close, whispering, “Just want you to know that I’m handling the situation.”

Jim catches Spock’s gaze briefly flickering down to his lips, but just as quickly he’s looking back into Jim’s eyes. “That is a relief to hear, Captain.”

Jim smiles, then rights himself up again. He turns to the bridge and loudly announces, “Alright, then! What’ve you got for me today?”

*

When Jim next checks his inbox he immediately sees the amount of e-mails has not lessened, and he needs to clench his fists in order to not let out an aggravated yell.

There’re still _tons_ of replies.

Like, rows and rows and rows of messages. 

In hindsight, it had been pretty dumb of Jim to expect the number of responses to diminish. He hadn’t really tried to eliminate people, just asked them to answer a set of questions which they all clearly did.

He pinches the bridge of his nose then takes a deep breath.

Alright. 

He did promise himself that this time around he would do better, and he’s damn well going to follow through with that promise.

Gathering any scrap of determination he has, Jim clicks the first message and gets to work. He filters through all of them, every single one, and makes sure not to get distracted by anything. He starts by sifting through the responses and deleting the ones he thinks don’t match up with Spock’s preferences, as well as what the sender is looking for in a partner. 

After about thirty minutes he’s able to dismiss an applicant simply from the first sentence. He’s got a simple rule: if he can read all the way through their responses, they go into the ‘definitely Spock’s potential S.O. pile’, and if he only makes it midway through they go into the ‘maybe’ pile. Everything else goes in the trash.

Jim feels like he’s been sat at his desk for years. He wouldn’t be surprised if when he’s done with the messages he finds that there’s mould growing on him. In reality it’s just a few hours, and when he finally, _finally_ finishes, he indulges in the longest stretch of his life. His stiff muscles sing with relief, and Jim lets out what he’s convinced is the deepest sigh of his life. He practically melts into his seat once it’s over.

Jim looks to the PADD, and his inbox is significantly less full than a few hours ago. This is good. It means he’s actually gotten somewhere with the task. He just needs a small break before he gets back to it, intending to slash it down even more so he doesn’t have to keep in contact with too many beings.

Jim feels kind of bad about it, but the more he reads through the responses, the less he finds himself caring about doing a thorough job. He thought he’d be flipping through all messages and reading them several times over, but that is so not the case. It’s reached the point where if the message doesn’t impress from the start, it’ll find its way into the bin.

Maybe it’s not the best way to go about finding Spock the perfect spouse, but Jim’s slowly changed his reasoning from ‘obsessively go through all potential prospects until you find the one’ to ‘if it’s not a hard yes, it’s a hard no’.

He decides he’ll walk around his room a bit and then go replicate himself a hot cup of coffee. The aroma wakes his body up, and he finds himself relaxing. He spends twenty minutes just enjoying the hot beverage, occasionally sipping at it while he just sits on his bed. He doesn’t want to sit on his chair, his ass would never forgive him for numbing it so. Once he has finished his coffee Jim feels slightly rejuvenated, and when he thinks about going back to Spock’s task it doesn’t immediately drive him to the nearest Kelvin pod like he thought it would.

Jim allows the warmth of the coffee to spread through his body before he kicks himself back into gear, returning to round two of the messages. This time he’s going to go through the ‘maybe’ pile again and see which ones he deems worthy of moving up to the ‘definitely Spock’s potential SO pile’, and the ones that he doubts even for a second will be deleted.

He can do this.

Taking one last breath, Jim goes about sorting through the messages and selecting the finalists.

*

Twenty-three.

Twenty-three Vulcans. 

Twenty-three Vulcans who could potentially become his first officer’s partner. 

It’s _crazy_.

It’s so crazy in fact, that Jim decides right then and there that he’s done enough work for the day and goes to bed. He’s definitely earned it.

Besides, the task will still be there when he wakes up.

*

The task is indeed there in the morning when Jim wakes up, but he unfortunately doesn’t get around to it.

Not because he didn’t want to, but because mid-way through his sleep he was violently shaken awake when the ship suddenly halted in its path. Jim had immediately contacted the bridge and found that there was no explanation for it, and wasn’t that just a bitch of an answer. Jim had hurriedly gotten dressed and made his way onto the bridge, relieving Sulu from duty and taking his place as captain. 

Jim had asked the crew to run several tests on the ship, but they all show up unclear. Not conclusive, but unclear.

That already sets alarm bells off in Jim’s mind.

He’d tried increasing the warp factor power to dislodge the ship from wherever it was stuck, but that had been futile. In an attempt to figure out this problem, Jim had sent Spock down to the engineering department along with two ensigns, asking them to help Scotty in with anything he needed in order to move the ship forward.

Spock had given Jim a curt nod, then walked out of the bridge, leaving the captain to mull over their current dilemma. Jim had no idea what to do. They’d run the rudimentary tests, and they’d all come back conclusive. They’d tried increasing the ship’s speed in order to break free, but it hadn’t worked. He had had no idea where to start to figure out the problem, and there was nothing he could use to figure it out either.

Jim sighed, hanging his head in his hands. This kind of shit really only ever seemed to happen to the _Enterprise_. 

He’d been in the midst of contemplating his next move when his communicator beeped. It had been Scotty, shouting something garbled about Spock being injured, and that was all Jim needed to hear before he shot out of his seat and ran down to engineering before anyone could even so much as blink.

His heart had been in his throat as he scrambled down to engineering, the worst possible scenarios flickering through his mind at high speed. He’d been just several paces away from the turbolift when his communicator beeped again, and this time it was Scotty informing him that Spock had been sent to Sickbay.

Jim’s heart had practically stopped.

The image of Spock, injured so badly that he needed to be taken down to Sickbay, had a sick fear creeping up through his stomach. He’d immediately changed course, heading for Sickbay at top speed. Much to his frustration however, he’d been denied entrance into the operating room where M’Benga was currently taking care of Spock, and Bones had to push a frantic Jim out into the recovery room.

Bones had snapped at him, telling him to calm the hell down before explaining to Jim what had happened. Apparently Spock had been in the middle of helping Scotty down with the engines when a blast from one of them threw him back and he collided with the wiring board. Bones hadn’t understood what had happened entirely there, but somehow one of the wires had gotten loose and electrocuted Spock right in his side.

His side.

Spock’s heart.

Jim had felt it before when he’d dragged a half-injured Spock around during missions, had felt the solid beating beneath his palms. Twice as fast as a Humans.

Jim had been forced to wait an hour, the longest hour of his _goddamn life_ , before both M’Benga and Bones allowed him entry into Sickbay. Jim had pushed past them, hurrying inside and his eyes had instantly landed on the only being in the biobeds. He gently approached Spock, taking in the guy’s appearance.

There was nothing different about his face, nothing at all, but Jim felt that he wasn’t the same. It was a weird thing to say, but he couldn’t shake the feeling. Perhaps it was because he knew that Spock had been injured, or perhaps… he didn’t know.

Jim had pulled up a chair next to Spock’s biobed, sitting himself down and preparing to stay there for as long as it was required for Spock to wake up. M’Benga had dropped by just after, informing Jim of Spock’s state. Apparently it had just been a shock, and M’Benga had been able to quickly get the blood pumping through Spock’s heart again before anything disastrous could happen. That’s all there was to it, nothing more, but he would need some time to recover. Jim had nodded and M’Benga had walked off, leaving him with Spock.

And so Jim had sat, simply waiting for Spock to wake back up. He hadn’t thought to ask M’Benga if Spock had fallen into a Vulcan healing trance or if he’d recover earlier, but somehow he didn’t want to know. Either way he’d be unhappy with the answer because Spock would still be in the biobed, lying still and looking so damn lifeless it makes Jim’s skin crawl.

Time ticks by, nothing but the silence of Sickbay and Spock’s even breathing keeping Jim company. No one comes in during this time, and Jim wonders if it’s because he’s there or Spock really was the only casualty in engineering. He belatedly realises that he hasn’t handed the conn over to anyone, what with the way he’d hauled ass out of the bridge, and decides to give Sulu a quick call.

Turns out the guy had already been commed by Bones who had explained the situation down in Sickbay, and Sulu had understood that as a request that he should take the conn. Jim was glad that his shipmates knew him so well that they could anticipate what to do when he was incapacitated, but he did also feel extremely guilty for just having left them to figure things out. That was not the way a starship captain was to behave, and he was embarrassed of himself.

Sulu takes the opportunity to briefly get him up to date on the ship's situation, saying that it's been dislodged and they're moving forward once more, but there was no explanation as to why they were suddenly released. Jim sighs, rubbing at his eyes and thinking yeah, this really only ever seems to happen to the _Enterprise_. He tells Sulu to send a message to Starfleet Command explaining what had just happened, as well as the coordinates of the exact location they got caught up. They may not have an explanation for it, but at least they can warn other ships that it exists. Maybe someone else can go explore it and try to figure out why the ship got caught; a science of vessel of sorts would probably be best.

Jim is brought out his musings when suddenly Spock emits a small, nearly non-audible moan which has Jim sitting up straight. He listens closely, and even though there’s no more moans, there’s some shifting from the biobed. Jim watches as Spock blinks back into consciousness, his eyebrows furrowing as the bright light assaults his vision. He looks so disorientated like this, like a little kid being woken up from a nap. Once his eyes seem to have adjusted Spock slowly looks around the room, taking in his surroundings before they finally stop on Jim.

His eyes widen perceptively. “Jim.”

Jim smiles tenderly at him. “It’s good to see you awake, Spock.”

Spock blinks at him, then looks down at his body in the biobed. “I surmise I have been injured.”

Jim huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, no shit. It’s not too bad though.” 

Still bad enough for Jim’s liking.

“That is fortunate.” Spock nods slowly.

Jim just watches him, taking in his appearance. He looks paler than usual, and that’s really saying something since the guy is usually quite pale. It’s a bit weird, Jim had always thought beings who lived in the desert would have darker skin, or at least more oil on their skins, but Spock doesn’t have either of those traits. There’s some green under his eyes making them look droopier, and the sight makes something clench inside of Jim. Sometimes he really forgets that Spock is breakable.

Spock looks to Jim and asks, “How is the spousal project faring?”

Jim’s eyebrows jump and he blinks down at the guy. That came out of nowhere. “Uh… it’s going fine. Why do you ask?”

“I have simply not heard about it for some time.”

Jim tilts his head in thought. He guesses he hasn’t actually told Spock what he’s been up to, just assured him that he’s taking care of it. He never really thought Spock might want an update.

Actually, now that he thinks it, he realises how dumb that is. Spock always wants an update on anything he’s involved in, and considering this has to do with his future spouse, he’s probably not feeling too happy about being kept in the dark about it.

“Well, actually quite a bit has happened,” Jim begins. “I spoke to the you from another universe when we visited Vulcan and he helped me sort of… get your profile out there.”

Spock quirks an eyebrow. “You received aid from my older counterpart?”

“Yeah, well I thought who else would know you better than yourself.” Jim tells him with a grin.

“You realise we are different beings.”

“Yeah, I know, but on some level you must think the same, right?”

Spock looks contemplative, then concedes with a nod. “On some level, it is true.”

“Right. So I got his help, and he basically sent it to all single Vulcans on the colony telling them to e-mail me if you were interested, and, _man_ , you are one popular sonnuvabitch, Spock.”

“You are aware my mother is Human female and not a canine.”

Jim snorts and throws Spock an amused look. “Do you seriously have to be so sassy right now? You have just been severely injured.”

“If the opportunity arises, fatal injuries are no hindrance.” Spock states coolly, and the words along with the way he says it causes Jim to giggle.

“You are such a…” He breaks off, shaking his head with a fond smile. “ _Anyway_. Back to what I was saying. The Ambassador asked all single Vulcans to e-mail me if they were interested in marrying you, and the replies were insane, Spock. There were loads of messages, and honestly, I was just so overwhelmed by them all that I sent back one giant mass e-mail asking them to answer three questions.”

“What questions were those?” Spock asks.

Jim lists them off on his fingers. “What do they personally look for in a partner, what are their likes and dislikes, and what do they think they can offer their significant other.”

Spock nods in approval. “Adequate.”

“Thanks.” Jim replies dryly, but he knows that’s a compliment coming from Spock. In this case anyway. "So yeah, the next time I checked my inbox I saw that there were just as many responses as the first time around. Which, you know, was _great_.”

He sees Spock’s lips curve slightly, and he wonders if the guy enjoys seeing him suffer.

“I read through them all, which was a bitch, but in the end I managed to divide them into three piles: the ‘yes’ pile, the ‘maybe’ pile, and the trash. Once I’d done that I went through the ‘maybe’ pile again to check which ones could be upgraded to the ‘yes’ pile, and the rest of them went into the trash with the rest.”

“I see.” Spock nods. “Your method is rather sufficient.”

“Well, you know me, sufficient is what I do best.” Jim shrugs.

“How many prospects are there currently?”

“Twenty-three.”

Spock falls silent, a contemplative look coming over his face. After a moment he states, “I would like to personally review your choices.”

“Sure,” Jim tells him.

Spock continues to stare at him, silence settling between them.

“What, now?” Jim asks.

“I have nothing else to occupy my time.” Spock points out matter-of-factly.

Jim supposes he’s right. There really isn’t much for Spock to do since he’s definitely assigned to bedrest for the next few hours, the decision backed up by both M’Benga and himself.

“Okay, well, uh…” Jim starts, rising from his seat. “I’ll go get them and you… don’t move.” He finishes awkwardly.

Spock raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “I will attempt to restrain myself.”

Jim flushes, and he curtly nods his head at Spock. Alright, he definitely deserves that. Thinking the best way to avoid any more blunders is to leave, Jim does exactly that, leaving Spock to himself. He heads down to his quarters and fetches his personal PADD, the one that includes his notes on the spouse hunt. He returns back up to Sickbay, and true enough, Spock hasn’t moved an inch.

“Here you go,” Jim announces, holding the PADD out to him. “All twenty-three prospects right here.”

Spock accepts the PADD and Jim takes his seat again, waiting for Spock to finish reading through the finalists’ answers.

After about ten minutes Spock angles the PADD towards Jim. “Why did you select T’Lep as a potential match?”

Jim peers at the screen, reading through the information. Two lines in he remembers who it is. “Ah, her. Yeah, I thought that since she enjoyed _Kal-Toh_ and Sudoku you might like her. They’re not exactly chess, but they’re games where you need to use your mind a lot and have tons of patience. Also right here,” Jim points at a section further down in her response. “She wrote that she really enjoys Earth cuisine, especially East Asian food. She didn’t write if she cooks it or not, but that’s still something you share.”

Spock takes the PADD back and swipes across the screen. “And what of Sok?”

Jim peers over Spock’s shoulder and reads through the information. “Right, he said that he’d encourage and support his spouse in all of their endeavours, and he also said he thinks he’ll be a good partner because he always want to communicate before making a decision. So if you guys were married, and you were thinking of, I don’t know, buying a hovercar for yourself, then he’d want to discuss it with you first.”

“Would he wish to discuss all of my decisions, even if they were professional or personal?”

Jim bites his lips, then admits, “I don’t know.”

Spock gives a quiet nod, and goes back to scrolling through the responses.

“Sadly none of them said they were compassionate.” Jim shares.

“If they possessed the trait they would not admit it.” Spock hums, gaze still locked on the PADD. Jim rolls his eyes. Vulcans. Several minutes trickle past with Spock not saying anything, and it leads to Jim squirming somewhat in his chair.

“Am I doing alright?” He asks uncertainly.

Spock’s eyes flicker over to him, and they seem to soften. “You are doing brilliantly, Jim.”

*

In the end Spock personally picks out three people he believes would be a good match for him: T’Lep, T’Pok, and Sikon. 

They do have full names, but Jim’s not even going to try and pronounce them. He’s pretty sure he’d offend them horribly, since the first few times he’d tried pronouncing Spock’s name the guy had shown the closest thing to a grimace Jim had ever seen on a Vulcan. He had still wanted to be able to successfully pronounce Spock’s full name, and it had taken him ages to do so, practicing for hours in his quarters. He has to admit though, the look of shock on Spock’s face when he heard Jim flawlessly pronounce it was well worth all that practice.

So, now all he has to do is contact the three finalists and tell them that Spock is interested in them. Well, he’s mostly interested in their profiles, but that feels a bit impersonal to say. 

However, now that there are only three Vulcans Jim has to keep focus on he feels a lot more determined to help Spock find a spouse. Even though the guy had personally chosen these three as his prospects, Jim just wants to make absolutely sure that their hearts are in the right place when it comes to marrying Spock. 

He writes up a message which he sends to all of them, asking them to once more explain why exactly they want to marry Spock. If any of them give a poor answer Jim is going to throw them away, and if all of them give shit answers he’s going to slam dunk them into the bin and have Spock pick new prospects. It may be harsh, but he needs to make sure that these Vulcans are absolutely, 100%, interested in his friend.

Luckily he receives replies from all of them not even two hours later, and their reasons are... well, quite Vulcan.

T’Pok has written that from what they have read about Spock they are interested in him, but wish to talk to him further to ascertain that they would be compatible. It’s maybe not a great reason, but Jim appreciates that T’Pok is honest, and he does agree that talking further is the best way to gauge whether or not they’re a good match.

Sikon has stated that he has always had a fascination with Earth and has been keeping up to date with Spock’s achievements ever since the Nero incident, lauding his decision to join Starfleet in order to help the Vulcan race expand instead of keeping to their planet. He’s clearly extremely riveted with Spock, and Jim appreciates that Sikon takes such an interest in Spock’s accomplishments.

T’Lep says that she admires Spock’s work in Starfleet as it did more to strengthen ties between Earth and Vulcan than any other attempts in the past. She’s also incredibly interested in his opinions on the different types of grains that can grow in the desert, because apparently that was the subject of Spock’s thesis when he was at the academy.

They’re all pretty logical answers, but Jim can see there’s underlying personal interest in them. So, he decides that they all qualify to the ‘getting to meet Spock’ round.

He messages them again, this time asking if they’re free to meet the next time the _Enterprise_ comes round to New Vulcan. It’ll be in two weeks’ time, so hopefully they’ll have enough time to clear up their schedules for their arrival. He wants Spock to be able to meet them and get a feel of their personalities before he makes a decision. It wouldn’t do to just have the guy pick someone off of a screen and then immediately get hitched. No, they may sound good through messages, but they could be completely different in person.

The replies are almost immediate, a resounding ‘yes’ from all three prospects.

Jim sits back in his chair, glad to finally be getting somewhere. 

Great. This is great.

*

Lately Jim’s been spending most of his free time working on Spock’s task, but now that he’s reached a point where he can’t do much more than wait, he finally has the chance to get to grips with some actual Starfleet-related work. They’ve kind of been piling up in the last few days and he really needs to finish them now or he’ll never get around to it. The more cluttered it becomes the less inclined he’ll be to get to work.

Jim’s just in the middle of typing up a report on the quality of their latest machinery acquired for the engineering department when his communicator beeps.

Absently picking it up, he utters a, “Kirk here.”

“Hey, Jim.” It’s Bones.

Jim’s attention immediately shifts from the report to the conversation. “Hey, Bones, how you doing?”

“Just fine.” Bones drawls. “Listen, Jim. Whatever happened to Spock’s spouse hunt? I’ve not hear much about it since.”

Jim grins to himself. 

Bones may be considered a highly competent Starfleet CMO, but the man is really such a terrible gossip. Sure, he’ll complain and turn his nose up at anyone who engages in the act, but he’s one of those people who absolutely wants to know every single detail there is to know about the drama.

“What, your favourite reality holoshow on a hiatus so you need to get your fix from real life?” Jim quips.

“Why would I watch a holoshow for the drama when you exist?” Bones retorts.

“True.” Jim acquiesces, beaming. “Well, actually quite a bit has happened since we last spoke about the spouse thing. I got some help from Ambassador Setok when on Vulcan since I didn’t know how to actually contact any eligible Vulcans, and so he did it for me. You saw how many replies I got, right?”

“I saw.”

“Yeah, so clearly Spock’s like a sex symbol of sorts on Vulcan.”

There’s some muffled noise coming through the comm.

“Bones? You alright?” Jim checks.

“Just fine, Jim. Just mumbling.”

“Okay…” He says slowly.

“I just don’t like hearing the guy being referred to as a sex symbol, especially since Vulcans prefer mental compatibility above all else.”

Jim’s eyebrows jump in surprise. “Wow, that’s really… xenoculturally sensitive of you, Bones.”

“Didn’t think I had it in me?” Bones accuses, a hint of amusement colouring his tone.

“Well, I didn’t want to accuse you of being xenophobic…” Jim starts, but Bones interrupts him with a scoff.

“Very funny, Jim. Go on, tell me what you were going to say.”

“Right, right, the spouse thing. Well, after I got all the responses it was just too much for me, so I sent back a mass e-mail to them all asking that they answer three questions. When I got the replies I sifted through all of them, and I mean _all of them_ , then picked the finalists out of their responses. I came out with twenty-three potential spouses, then Spock checked over the ones I chose and selected three himself. So yeah, I then e-mailed those three asking if they’re free to meet during our next cargo run and they all said yes. And that’s where the story ends.” Jim finishes.

“That’s interesting,” Bones drawls lazily.

“I suppose. We’re getting closer to finally finding him a spouse, so that’s good.”

“You think any of them will be the one?”

“I really don’t know, but for Spock’s sake I hope so.”

Bones hums in reply. It’s very vague, but Jim thinks he hears tittering coming through the communicator.

“Bones, is someone there?” Jim asks suspiciously. 

“No, Jim, I’m completely alone.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re alone.” Jim accuses.

“Really, now. Outside of you and the forced socialisation I have to put up with when on duty, when have I ever willingly spent time with someone?”

“That does sound very unlike you.” Jim agrees after a moment. “Having friends, and all.”

“Aren’t you a peach.” Bones drawls. “Well, it was good to get an update on the spouse situation.”

“What, you done with me now?” Jim jests.

“Unlike you I actually have work to get done. Don’t know why I spent my break calling you, you’re clearly not appreciative of the time I give you.”

Jim lets out an ugly snort at that, and he can hear the smugness in Bones’ voice when he says, “Let me know if there are any more developments, you hear?”

“Sure thing, Bones,” Jim chuckles. “I’ll make sure you get your fix of drama.”

“That’s all I ask for.” He says, then hangs up.

Jim places his communicator back on the table, unable to get the smile off his face.

Man, Bones is such a snoop.

*

Bones pockets his comm unit and turns to the crowd of people in the mess hall.

“Well, y’all heard the man.” He declares loudly. “Anyone who bet Jim would pull his head out of his ass and realise he’s got the hots for Spock by today, you can either hand in your credits now or go double.”

A chorus of voices suddenly erupt, people moving about and murmuring as they talk to the others in the room. Bones sees Uhura accept her winnings from Chekov, and he points an accusing finger at her.

“You almost got me figured out, lady. I hope you know that.”

“Noted.” Uhura nods, looking like she doesn’t give a damn. Was it really necessary for her to whisper to Bones that mental compatibility was way more important to Vulcans than sex right in the middle of his conversation with Jim?

Bones shakes his head and looks back to the group of people, watching as they collect their money and hedge new bets. Looks like the betting pool was going to extend by another week, two if Bones was lucky.

If his best friend was going to be totally oblivious about his attraction to his first officer, Bones was damn well going to make some money out of the guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knows where this is going, but STILL :’D 
> 
> I’m writing it because I love it when Jim is so oblivious it makes you want to claw at your face


	3. Chapter 3

The first date Jim has set up is with T’Lep, and he’s picked out a museum outing for her and Spock. He’d originally wanted to send them to something like a _kal-toh_ tournament or a board game museum since they both liked games where you use your mind, but the Vulcan colony has only built up two museums since they settled: the history museum, only about Vulcan of course, and a geology museum.

Jim decides that a Vulcan History museum is only slightly less boring than one on geology. 

As soon as Jim chooses a location he sends the details to T’Lep, and she responds with her approval and a description of what she’ll be wearing on the day: brown robes and purple earrings. Jim immediately takes his PADD over to Spock’s, wanting to make sure the guy knows what he’s looking for when the day comes. 

Jim feels… kind of nervous about it. Like a parent sending their kid off to their first day of school, except not really. He’s more… protective? Yeah, that seems to be it. It’s pretty weird, but he chalks it up to being because they’re now nearing on the actual action part of the spouse hunt: meet and greets.

Jim decides to go through the bathroom since he can’t be arsed to go around to Spock’s door, but he still makes sure to knock just in case the guy’s busy. After a moment Jim hears Spock call out ‘enter’, and he presses through to his quarters.

Jim instantly flinches back, because Spock is stood right on the other side of the door.

“Jesus, Spock!” Jim gasps, grasping at his heart. “Why’d you have to stand right outside the door?”

“I was simply awaiting your arrival.” Spock responds calmly, looking for all the world like Jim’s the weird one.

“Well you can await my arrival a bit further, can’t you?” Jim returns.

Spock nods once then takes a step back. “Is this satisfactory, Jim?”

“Just swell.” Jim replies, rolling his eyes, even though strangely enough it isn’t and he wants the guy a little bit closer. Not too close where their breaths mingles, but just close enough.

“What brings you to my quarters?” Spock asks, clasping his hands behind his back. Ah, yes; the customary Spock stance.

“Just wanted to tell you that I’ve fixed up your first date for you.” Jim reveals, handing the PADD over to Spock. “It’ll be with T’Lep, and you’ll be going to the Vulcan History museum at 10 in the morning. She said she’ll be wearing brown robes and purple earrings. Is that alright, or do you want change it?”

Spock briefly browses the PADD then offers a nod. “It is more than adequate.”

“More than adequate?” Jim whistles, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, look at me, not doing so shabby.”

Spock’s lips twitch. “It is unwise to let a Human vice such as pride to consume you.”

“Are you telling me to get a grip of my fucking ego?” Jim inquires with a lop-sided grin.

“In less vulgar terms, yes.”

Jim chuckles. “Dick.”

Spock hands the PADD back to Jim and asks, “Will we be departing for the museum together or will you be joining us at the destination?”

Jim’s good mood instantly vanishes and is replaced with confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Jim, surely you know that you must act as my chaperone.”

Jim stares at Spock with disbelief.

“Why do you never _tell me these things_?”

“I thought this a common act on Earth.” Spock retorts calmly.

“Yeah, for like ten year olds, not twenty-eight year old Vulcan Starfleet officers.”

All Spock has to say to that is, “Clearly there is a cultural difference.”

“Smartass.” Jim spits, then sighs.

“Do you not wish to join, then?” Spock asks after a moment, and man, the guy actually sounds kind of dejected.

Jim shakes his head. “Nah, I’ll join you. But I… I don’t have to hang out all the time, do I? I can look around myself too, right?”

“You may maintain your distance if you wish.” Spock assures him.

Jim lets out a sigh of relief. Small victories.

*

The _Enterprise’s_ second cargo run, this time to Gurrara, is practically eventless compared to the first one. The only thing that happens on the entire trek over to New Vulcan is that there’s a physical sparring tournament held in the gym, and Sulu comes out the winner much to Jim’s surprise. It’s not like he thought the guy was weak or anything, but, you know… Spock exists.

Apparently Spock’s strength and speed was nothing on Sulu’s agility and quick ability to analyse his opponent’s weak points, throwing them all into the mat after just moments. This incident just really shows Jim he needs to pay more attention to Sulu— he thought the guy only dabbled in fencing, botany, and giving people intimidating looks whenever they jokingly asked if he could fly the ship, but clearly there’s more to him.

So yeah, that’s all happens for the entire four days it takes them to reach New Vulcan, delicately pulling into the docking station with sets and set of heavy cargo. Again it shouldn’t take more than a day to unload the materials, but Jim’s already arranged an extension of three extra so that Spock can go on a date with all three of his potential partners.

It wasn’t forbidden to extend the ships’ stay, but it was frowned upon; Jim was sure he’d have to convince the most of the crew to accept his decision, but funnily enough no one says a word against it. Chekov actually gives him a thumbs up when he hears the news, and two when Jim explains that they’re doing this so Spock can go on a few dates. Pretty weird.

Jim does think he’s having them stay for a good cause though; this is important stuff, Spock meeting with his potential future spouse, and who knows when the next time either of the prospects are free. Also the sooner they meet the better, since Jim doesn’t know when Spock’s mind will begin to deteriorate. He probably still has several years left, more likely decades, but Jim wants to be safe rather than sorry.

He’s just finished dressing himself for Spock’s date when he heads over to the guy’s quarters, through the bathroom again. He’s barely knocked before Spock calls him through, and when the door swooshes open he’s greeted with the sight of his first officer dressed in very neat, very straight, brown Vulcan garbs.

Jim lets out a whistle. “Look at you! Getting all fancy, Vulcan-style.”

“This is the common apparel donned by Vulcans.” Spock explains, smoothing his hands down his front. It sadly hid his very nice figure, but that’ll be a nice surprise for anyone who gets to remove it.

“I dig it.” Jim compliments, eyes travelling up and down Spock’s form. It really was cool, and so much different from Jim’s own. Oh, shit. Jim’s outfit. “Wait, does that mean what I’m wearing now won’t cut it?”

Spock’s eyes trail over Jim’s body, taking in his jeans and white t-shirt combo. It seems to take longer than it should, but eventually he gives his head a small shake.

“You look adequate.”

“You sure?” Jim asks, running a hand down his chest. “It’s not too informal?”

“Not at all, though you are free to don your customary faux leather jacket if you wish.”

“Isn’t it a bit too hot on New Vulcan for that?”

Spock’s face takes on a pensive look, and strangely enough he sounds wistful when he declares, “I suppose.”

Jim smiles to himself, thinking how funny it is that Spock forgot it’s super hot there. Jim’ll be lucky if he makes it back from the date without having gotten burnt, let alone suffered heatstroke.

*

Jim and Spock show up at the museum together, Spock fitting in with all the other Vulcans and Jim sticking out like a sore thumb. He just doesn’t understand how they can stand being decked entirely in robes; it’s fucking hot as balls out here and Jim’s already finished one of the water bottles he brought with him. Seriously, what is with Vulcans and their ability to endure unbearable heat?

There’re quite a few Vulcans at the museum, as well as a few non-Vulcans, probably beings helping in the efforts to build the colony, and it takes both Jim and Spock a few moments before they finally spot T’Lep. Jim catches sight of her purple earrings, shaped like a vine of grapes, and sees that they’re hanging off of delicate ears that lead into a delicate profile. That’s all he sees of her since her head seems to be angled away from them, but it’s her alright. Spock’s clocked onto her too, his gaze focused on the same person Jim’s are.

“There she is.” Jim murmurs.

“Indeed.” Spock intones.

“Now remember; be courteous, be friendly, and be yourself.” Jim tells him then, sends the guy off with a pat on the back and an encouraging smile. Spock throws him one last glance, then heads straight towards T’Lep. 

Jim watches from a distance as they begin to talk, and when after a moment they enter the museum Jim follows after. Thankfully the museum is free, which is really one of most beautiful things about museums, and Jim makes sure to keep a few paces behind the couple.

The museum itself is very large, with open rooms and high ceilings perfect for housing tall artefacts or artwork. Jim thinks it’s pretty cool how a museum was one of the first things the Vulcans had decided to set up when re-building the colony, but then again it kind of makes sense. They were a race very proud of their history and loved knowledge, so this was all kinds of perfect for them.

Spock and T’Lep appear to be making their way through the museum in chronological order, starting with the ages pre-Surak. Jim has to admit it’s pretty damn interesting, and he’s actually been trying to get Spock to tell him about these times, but the guy always seems so reluctant. Reading the plaques with blurbs of historic information on them, Jim kind of understands. The Vulcans from this age are described as being nothing more than emotional, barbaric animals, and considering the species they’ve evolved into today, this must be a real embarrassing part of their past.

This must be their fourteen year old phase, Jim thinks to himself, and can’t help smiling at that. A pair of Vulcans look at him, but he ignores them in favour of following the couple who seem to have moved on rather rapidly. Jim has to hurry after them, mentally upset over the fact that he can’t stay in this bit of the museum for just a bit longer. Maybe he can return later, and this time bring Bones with him— or even just Spock. He’s sure the guy wouldn’t turn down a second round in a museum about his race’s history, and besides, Jim wants him to be there in case he has any questions.

…And also because he wants to see Spock get embarrassed about being confronted with the pre-Surak Vulcans. He wonders if the guy would smile at his ‘fourteen year old phase’ comparison. Probably not.

They’ve gone into a second room now, this one apparently focusing on the introduction of Surak and his teachings. Jim’s eyes immediately find Spock and T’Lep, and he notices that T’Lep is slowly ambling along whilst Spock seems to have stopped at something. Inching slightly closer Jim makes it out as a glass case holding the first written copies of Surak’s teachings, apparently etched into some sort of mineral. Spock’s hunched over, hands still clasped behind his back as he’s so used to, and Jim can see his eyes darting across the readings.

As soon as Spock steps away Jim takes his place, wanting to see what got the guy so interested. But damn it all to hell, it’s all in Vulcan. Of course. Why wouldn’t it be. 

They’re on New Vulcan, in a Vulcan museum about Vulcan history. 

Jim doesn’t know what he was expecting.

He sighs and turns to once more follow the pair, finding them to be standing before a bust of sorts. It resembles a Vulcan, of course, and Jim will bet it’s a bust of Surak. Not only because they’re in the bit of the museum that holds artefacts and such from that period, but because Spock seems riveted by the thing. He’s stood straight, his eyes trailing over the bust as he steps around it, trying to take in every detail.

Jim thinks he’s such a nerd, but it comes from a fond place. It really is fun to see that Spock has such fanboy tendencies in him, even if he does come off as the most level-headed of the crew. He likes to deny having preferences and such, but Jim knows he has some, such as botany, petting cats, and just as Jim’s figuring out now, Surak.

Much of the date goes on in the same manner; Spock and T’Lep walking around the museum looking at things, occasionally talking, and Jim staying a few steps behind, paying special attention to the things Spock seems to have taken an interest in. 

It’s about three hours later, just after Jim’s finished reading a plaque on Vulcan’s First Contact with Earth, that he sees T’Lep and Spock turn to one another from the corner of his eye. He inconspicuously twists around so that he can see what’s going on, trying to make it seem like he’s actually still reading the plaque, just… from a ninety degree angle.

They look to be exchanging words, stony-faced and unmoving. It’s really difficult for Jim to gauge what’s going on when they’re stood like to statues imitating… well, statues. He doesn’t have to wonder for long though, because after another few seconds the tow of them nod at one another, and then T’Lep walks away. 

As Spock approaches him Jim’s face breaks into a grin. “Well,” he begins, stretching out the word. “How did it go?”

“We are not a match.” Spock declares plainly.

Jim’s grin immediately drops. “Why not?”

“Our wishes simply do not coincide.”

“How come?” Did Jim pick wrong? He’d thought she was a good choice, and Spock himself must’ve agreed because he picked her too.

“She wishes to remain on Vulcan in order to continue her contributions to our race’s pursuit of knowledge. As you recall, I wished for a partner who would not curb my duties aboard the _Enterprise_.”

“Oh.” Jim says, understanding dawning over him. “I should’ve probably asked about that when e-mailing her.”

“It is quite alright, Jim. Your method was a practical one, and I do not believe there is anything wrong with meeting with the potential matches in person.”

Jim nods slowly, but he’s still a bit upset with himself. It’s such a rookie mistake not asking about her future wishes. Damn, he just hopes he hasn’t messed up anything else.

*

The second date is with T’Pok, and Jim has chosen to have them and Spock attend a seminar together. Since they’re both into intellectually stimulating topics, and the topic of this seminar entitled ‘Our Approach to First Contact’ which is pretty damn stimulating if you ask Jim. Also, there’s not very much to do on the colony since they’re still re-building it, so seminar it is.

T’Pok had said she’d meet Spock inside the seminar room where they’ll save a seat for him, and describes themselves as having short-cut, light brown hair and wearing grey Vulcan robes. Jim doesn’t think that’s a good enough description, but then Spock tells him it’s more than adequate because there aren’t that many light-haired Vulcans. 

When they arrive at the lecture hall where the seminar will be held, Spock is the one to immediately find T’Pok. He angles Jim in their direction, but all Jim can see is the back of their head. T’Pok is apparently already sat in one of the rows, facing the front of the lecture hall and presumably waiting for Spock.

“Well, off you go.” Jim nods, gently pushing Spock forward. The guy offers a nod in return, and graveully heads down the steps towards T’Pok. Jim catches their first looks to one another, and the next minute Spock is sliding into the seat next to T’Pok. Jim decides to sit a few rows behind them, thinking it’ll be a great spot to observe any interaction between the two. 

It’s fifteen minutes into the seminar when he realises that maybe this isn’t such a great choice for a date, what with the lecturer doing all the talking it means that T’Pok and Spock won’t have a chance to talk to each other. How will they find out if they’re good matches or not? T’Pok was after all the one who said they wanted to talk to Spock first to see if they were compatible, they’d clearly mentioned it in their messages and Jim had just gone and forgotten. He’s gone and fucked it up again.

He holds back a frustrated sigh, not wanting to bring any attention to himself. This was a bust.

Well, at least the topic is interesting. Jim actually ends up finding himself enthralled with it, which is something he hadn’t expected. Sure, the lecturer is a bit dry and logical for Jim’s tastes, but still strangely engaging. Maybe he should attend more seminars when visiting the colony in the future. He could bring Spock Prime with him. Or his Spock. Or both.

After another thirty minutes the seminar concludes, and immediately everyone in the room rises from their seats. The synchronicity of it all throws Jim off momentarily, but then he’s also getting up and gathering his stuff. The Vulcans all fall into single file and amble towards the exit, the noise in the room surprisingly minimal. When Jim was at the academy there’d always be a flourish of noise when people were exiting the lecture hall, cadets wanting to get the hell out of the room as quickly as they could. He briefly wonders what it’s like at the VSA.

Jim breaks off from the file when he reaches the room’s exit, standing by the wall for Spock and T’Pok to join him. A few Vulcans throw him some looks, but keep heading out of the room. Jim watches as Spock and T’Pok finish gathering their things, and sees when Spock turns to his date and says something. Jim doesn’t know what it is, but T’Pok responds, and Spock nods once in return.

Suddenly another Vulcan approaches and stops before them. Jim frowns, wondering who this one is. Maybe a friend of T’Pok? Or Spock, even. Actually, Jim doesn’t know if Spock has friends on New Vulcan. He’s never mentioned it, and he said his childhood on Vulcan wasn’t the greatest so Jim had just assumed Spock had no friends. Man, that was an awful thing to think, wasn’t it?

The strange Vulcan is saying something, and both T’Pok and Spock are focused on them. Jim continues to watch the interaction closely, but it’s damn difficult to tell what’s happening when they’re all so goddamn expressionless. He sees T’Pok turn to Spock, and their lips are moving but again he has no idea what’s being said. A few seconds later Spock says something back, and T’Pok inclines their head before walking away with the strange Vulcan.

Jim’s frown is etched so deep into his face when Spock approaches he’s pretty sure it’ll give him at least three permanent wrinkles.

“Where’re they going?” He asks Spock.

“They are leaving with their betrothed.” Spock replies calmly.

“ _What?_ ” Jim exclaims, eyes widening. He’s pretty sure he just heard wrong, because that can’t be possible. “What the hell just happened?”

“The seminar had concluded and I asked T’Pok whether they wished to dine with me. They accepted, but the next moment a strange Vulcan approached. He introduced himself as Stinn, then declared his love for T’Pok and asked for them to become his bondmate. T’Pok immediately accepted, then apologised to me for misusing my time. I told them it was quite alright, and together they departed.” Spock reiterates casually, and not like this is an absolutely mind-boggling thing to have happened.

“Let me get this straight,” Jim starts, holding up his hands. “Another Vulcan approached you and T’Pok during your date, _proposed to them_ , and you guys said ‘nah, it’s cool, shit happens’— just like that?”

What was this, a 20th century romcom?

“You are simplifying the matter, but essentially yes.” Spock answers.

A long, drawn out silence engulfs the two of them.

Eventually Spock asks, “As T’Pok is unavailable for lunch, would you be willing to dine with me, Jim?”

Jim shuts his eyes, feeling a headache the size of Jupiter coming on. He just can’t understand Spock’s casual attitude. His date has just walked off with another Vulcan, with their _fiancée_ , and he’s asking about fucking lunch? 

He continues staring at Spock, the silence stretching out.

At long last, Jim nods. “Yeah, alright.”

*

“…And then he tells T’Pok not to worry about it and asks me if I want to have lunch with him instead.” Jim reiterates with a flare, almost knocking the drink out of his hand.

Bones, the asshole, is very unsuccessfully holding back his laughter.

“It’s not funny, Bones!”

“Oh, I beg to differ.” Bones counters through his snickering. “I just can’t believe how elegantly he handled that situation. God knows if someone proposed to my date I’d be so damn shocked electricity would be wanting to hire me.”

Jim shakes his head, inwardly thinking that sentence made no sense. Bones hasn’t even had that much to drink... yet.

“Yeah… but then again they are Vulcans, so they probably react really differently.” Jim muses.

“Even for Vulcans though that’s a very underwhelming reaction. Spock probably just didn’t like them.” Bones shrugs, taking a sip of his whiskey. It seems like the drink was growing on him.

“But he picked them out himself.” Jim pouts.

“Just because they look good on the screen doesn’t mean it’ll be the same in person.”

Jim tilts his head. Bones does have a point, and honestly Jim has thought the same thing himself.

“I suppose… But I just… I don’t know.” He finishes lamely.

“Gotta say, the Vulcan way of dating is very strange.” Bones comments.

“Because you’re not Vulcan.” Jim points out.

“I’m well aware of that, Jim. Still, it’s very different from how we Humans do it, don’t you think? I mean it’s all so technical. There’s no dating for several months or years, just a quick mind meld and then _bang_ — they know who their significant other will be.”

“You have to admit it’s a lot easier than our way.”

“Not as fun, though. Can’t imagine a relationship where there’s not even a little bit of adventure.”

Jim slowly perks up, his mind having picked up on something Bones just said.

“What kind of adventure?” He asks.

Bones takes a sip of his drink and shrugs. “Up to each individual person. To me it’s just anything that keeps the relationship interesting. My worst nightmare would be being with someone for years and then realise I’ve grown bored of them.”

He suddenly grows solemn.

Jim awkwardly bites his lip. He knows Bones is thinking of Jocelyn. The guy and his ex-wife… well, from Jim has heard Bones really doesn’t like the woman. Anymore, that is. But sometimes, when they’re deep down in their drinking and they reach that maudlin point, Bones will lean into his shoulders and mutter things he misses about Jocelyn.

It’s… very unnerving.

It’s just awful that their marriage went to shit, breaking up a decade long relationship, and with a fucking _kid_ too, with little Joanna. It’s just a fucking mess, and Jocelyn had taken it all from Bones, everything he loves, which is why he’s here now— in space, on the _Enteprise_ , with Jim.

It’s awful of Jim to think so, but some innermost part of him is kind of glad they divorced. Not only because Bones was apparently miserable, but blind to it, but also because otherwise Jim never would’ve met the guy.

He’s not sure if Bones feels the same, but probably not.

Still, what the guy just said… about adventure. He’s got half an idea forming in his mind.

“So like, trying out new things?” Jim wonders.

“That’s one way.”

Trying out new things… on Vulcan. That’s… yeah, that’s possible. Jim just has to take the situation into his own hands and make it possible. It’s not a very adventurous planet, they all do love their rules and regulations, but, well… 

Maybe adventure doesn’t have to be the extravagant things that pop into Jim’s mind; doesn’t have to be hovercar racing, or bungee-jumping, or eating olives. Maybe it can just be something simple that Vulcans don’t normally think of trying. 

Jim nods to himself.

Yes. He’s decided. He’s going to mix things up a bit for Spock’s next date; he’s going to go the old-fashioned route, Human-style.

*

“It’s a dinner date, and then the movies.” Jim explains for the umpteenth time as he and Spock are walking up the stairs to the restaurant. Whoever thought of having a restaurant up a longass set of stairs needs to be fired; not only does it not want to make you go inside, but how’re you going to get down when you’re full to the brim with food? Roll down the stairs?

“I still do not understand why we must engage in this particular setting. For Vulcans dinner is solely for business transactions.” Spock states, looking for all the world like he’s unbothered by all these fucking _steps_. Seriously, Jim would’ve given up ten steps up.

“What about when you’re meeting with a friend?” He asks.

“Then it is customary to invite your friend over to your residence for tea.”

“That’s… very old English.” Jim chuckles. “I just thought that it might do to try something new for once. Something Human. You know the whole ‘dinner and movie date’ thing is an old classical Human courtship event, right?”

“I did not know.” Spock admits.

“Well, it is. And it’s always been proven to be successful. I mean, what’s better than sharing a good meal with someone you like, then going to watch a movie together, cuddled up close in the dark?”

Spock thinks, then after a moment reveals, “I suppose your reasoning is not unsatisfactory.”

“Damn right. All those other places, they were good, and they were intellectually stimulating, but you guys barely spoke with one another. The focus was always on something else, like the displays at the museum, or the seminar at… well, the seminar. Here, on this date, the focus will be on each other.” Jim clarifies, and from the way Spock has fallen silent he’s probably contemplating the reasoning.

“Besides,” Jim goes on. “It’s not like you can decline the idea now. We’re already at the restaurant.” He says, motioning at the doors they’re nearing. Just another fifteen steps and then they’re there. Thank fuck.

Spock looks towards the doors, then quietly says, “I suppose not.”

They finally reach the top of the stairs, _finally_ , and Jim goes to open the door, ushering Spock inside with a, ‘after you’. The inside of the restaurant is pretty much what Jim was expecting from a Vulcan establishment, but it doesn’t make it any less pretty. The ceilings are way high, and the décor is very minimalist. There are large windows stretching to the top of the ceiling that look out over their surroundings, the colony currently being built around them as well as the bright sand dunes in the distance. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and it reminds Jim of those fancy resort holidays people go on in Africa or South America.

They thankfully have a maitre d’, which makes sense since it is the most logical way to seat people at a restaurant. Can’t have a bunch of Vulcans walking around lost in the establishment, trying to find their table. 

The image makes Jim chuckle, and Spock sends him an inquiring look. 

“I was just… thinking of something.” Jim explains lamely, still smiling.

Spock arches his eyebrow in return, and damn it, that just makes Jim smile harder. He doesn’t know why, it’s just funny.

He and Spock approach the maitre d’, and Jim makes sure that Spock gets seated first. He watches as the two of them walk off, somewhere towards the back of the restaurant. All of the tables are low level, and none of them have chairs, but instead cushions of sorts. There aren’t many people in right now, and Jim reckons it’s because it’s like Spock had told him about restaurants only being used as a setting for business transactions.

He’s admiring the patterns on the cushions when the maitre d’ returns, this time to lead Jim to his table. He’d asked for one where he’s far enough to Spock’s date to see what’s going on, but not so close that he’ll hear every word they’re saying. The maitre d’ seats him at his table, informing him that the menu is already present and asking if he wants a drink now or later. Jim says he’ll have a water, and as soon as the maitre d’ leaves looks towards Spock.

This date, the final one, is with Sikon. Jim doesn’t see the guy’s face, only an angled profile, but he does have a full view of Spock which is good. This way he can see the guy’s reactions to gauge if the date is going well or not. He’d told Spock that if at any point during the date he felt uncomfortable or wanted it to end, he should drop his cutlery and Jim will immediately come over and end the date for them. Apparently as the chaperone he’s allowed since he’s there for Spock’s protection. Not that Jim thinks Spock needs his help, the guy’s already a force of his own and could probably easily tackle this Sikon guy to the floor, but still; it’s the principle of it that counts.

The date progresses easily enough, nothing really interesting happening. Jim orders some dish at random after asking the maitre d’ which ones don’t contain anything he could have an allergic reaction to, but when he gets it doesn’t really agree with him. It’s alright, he’s just not loving it. Shame. He really should have asked Spock beforehand what was good, he may have been able to recommend something. Jim’s not the biggest fan of vegetarian dishes, but Spock knows what he likes and has even cooked for him sometimes, and Jim liked those dishes. Maybe it was just Spock’s cooking he likes.

Midway through the date a group of Vulcans all come in together and are seated at a table near Jim, all stoic-looking and dresses in Vulcan garbs. Jim supposes they look like they’re ready to do business, but he feels like all Vulcans are. Jim peers at Spock’s table and sees that yep, still nothing has happened. They’ve just been sat opposite each other, eating and talking, which is good. They’re probably getting to know one another.

Jim turns back to his meal with a sigh. He really didn’t expect chaperoning to be this boring. He picks at his food, grimacing at the squelching sound of the lettuce. It’s… really not appetizing.

He’s about to give the potato thing on his dish another go when a familiar voice greets him.

“What a delight to see you here, Jim.”

He’s already grinning before he’s looked around, eyes dancing with mirth. “Well, well, well; if it isn’t the Ambassador himself.”

Spock Prime inclines his head in reply, a small smile playing on his lips. “You really must break out of the habit of not informing me of your arrival.”

“And you really must to stop fibbing about not knowing every single time my ship docks on your planet.” Jim quips with a lop-sided grin.

Spock Prime sounds amused when he replies. “I will consider it.”

Jim chuckles. “What’re you doing here?”

“I was dining with a friend, and we have now concluded our meal.”

“With a friend?” Jim asks, sitting up. “You actually dine with friends here?”

“It is a custom I picked up from a few old friends of mine.” There’s a gleam in his eyes, and Jim knows he’s talking about the crew from his universe’s _U.S.S. Enterprise_.

“Glad there was some cultural exchange in your universe.” Jim hums, then peers past the Ambassador. “So where’s your friend?”

“They have already departed. I was to join them, but when I saw you here I bid them farewell.”

“I feel so honoured. You blew off your friend for little old me?” Jim proclaims in an exaggerated tone, placing his hand on his chest and batting his eyelashes at the man.

“I now see that perhaps I was erroneous in my decision.”

Jim barks out a laugh, gaining the attention of a few attendees at the nearby table. “Harsh, but true.”

Spock Prime’s eyes trail over the single meal on Jim’s table, then jump back to him. “You seem to be dining alone.” He observes.

“Can’t exactly go on a date when I’m chaperoning someone else, you see.”

Spock Prime’s eyes widen slightly. “You are chaperoning Spock tonight?”

“Yep.” Jim nods.

“With whom is he dining?”

“Some Vulcan called Sikon. I don’t really know him outside of what we’ve exchanged in e-mails. You know him?”

Spock Prime tilts their head slightly, getting a certain look in his eyes. “Indeed I do. Where are they situated?”

Jim points his thumb in the direction of Spock and Sikon’s table. “They’re right over the—“

Jim stops suddenly short.

Spock is still at the table, sure, but there’s a visible green tinge to his cheeks, and when Jim zeroes in on the table he sees that for the first time all night they’ve moved. Or more precisely, their hands have, because Sikon is lightly cradling Spock’s hand in his own, and _when the hell did that happen?_

“Their social engagement looks to be faring well.” Spock Prime comments, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“Uh… yeah,” Jim clears his throat, gaze still locked on Spock’s table. “Yeah, it really does.”

He feels so unsettled. This is just… this is illegal, isn’t it? Or at least, public indecency. Isn’t holding hands or anything to do with the hands akin to a heavy making out session to Vulcans? Are they making out right now? That thought worries Jim to his very core, and for the life of him he can’t tear his gaze away from Spock and Sikon.

“Spock looks to be enjoying himself.” Spock Prime inputs.

Something about that comment rubs Jim the wrong way. He tries to shrug it off nonchalantly, but doesn’t think he does a very good job of it. “I don’t know. You think so?”

“Indeed. He is allowing himself to be touched by Sikon, a very intimate gesture amongst Vulcans.”

“But Spock’s half-Vulcan,” Jim defends. “It probably doesn’t mean as much to him.”

“It is true our mother is Human, but our physiology is predominantly Vulcan. There is also the fact that Spock grew up on Vulcan along with its customs.” Spock Prime argues calmly.

Damn it.

He was really hoping that it wouldn’t mean much for Spock, holding hands with a guy, but apparently it’s a huge, massive deal. Jim’s eyes harden as he takes in the two Vulcans before him. Jim doesn’t even know this Sikon guy outside of the e-mails. How was he supposed to know he was a perv? Sure, Spock’s not saying anything, but maybe he can’t throw his fork to the ground because his hands are occupied. Scratch that, _one_ hand is occupied, but still, Jim’s on edge. Who just up and grabs someone’s hand in the middle of dinner, the very equivalent of making out in a public restaurant? And on a first date too!

Jim’s eyes suddenly catch on some movement, Sikon’s hands starting to gently rub circles into Spock’s skin. Jim sees Spock’s flush deepening and his fingers twitching, and that does it for Jim. 

He immediately stands from his table and marches over to Spock’s table, barely giving the guy any time to take in his presence before he’s taking him by the arm.

“Jim, what—“ Spock gets out before he’s being hauled out of the restaurant.

Jim is too blinded by anger to respond, shoving the doors open and ignoring whatever’s happening behind him. They manage to make it a few steps down the steps before Spock snatches his hand out of Jim’s hold.

“Jim,” He starts tersely, straightening up to his full height. “What is the meaning of this?”

Jim has no reply, he just glares at Spock angrily with his hands on his hips. 

The doors suddenly open up, and the two of them look towards the source. Spock’s eyes widen as he takes in who it is. “Ambassador.”

Spock Prime offers his younger counterpart a small smile. “Spock.” He then turns to Jim, and there’s evident disapproval in his eyes. “Jim, you are being unreasonable.”

Jim finally explodes. “I am not! I just didn’t like the way that Sikon guy was looking at Spock, eyeing him up like he was a piece of meat and all that _touching_. I know that’s taboo for Vulcans and he was doing it in public! He’s no good!”

“You believe him to be seeking nothing more than sexual release?” Spock Prime asks.

“Exactly! That guy is out for just one thing and he’s not getting it from Spock!”

Jim’s not been paying attention to Spock for all of his rant, his attention focused on Spock Prime; however, this time Spock’s the one to answer him, and his voice is dangerously hard. “I am the one to decide what I wish to give or not, and to whom I give it to.”

Jim locks eyes with Spock, mouth turned sharply down. There’s a tense moment where all they do is just stare at each other, not uttering a single word. 

In the end Jim’s the one who breaks it. “I still don’t like it.”

“Jim, you are displaying traits of jealousy.” Spock Prime’s comfortable rumble interjects.

“I am not.” He retorts petulantly.

“You are jealous?” Spock inquires, blinking suddenly.

“ _No_.” He denies with a huff

“I do not understand. You personally selected Sikon as a potential spouse for myself.” Spock points out.

“Well, I changed my mind.” Jim snaps. “He’s a rotten guy, Spock.”

“You cannot simply _change your mind_.”

“Then how do I stop you from seeing him again?”

“You cannot.” Spock says firmly, eyes hardening.

Jim is so not happy with that answer. 

“…Are you?”

Spock quirks an eyebrow in response.

“Going to see him again?” Jim clarifies.

There’s a beat of silence, then Spock says, “I wish to.”

Jim’s frown deepens. No, he’s _definitely_ not happy with that answer.

“I believe it is time for me to leave.” Spock Prime announces out of nowhere.

Jim’s head snaps to him. He’d completely forgotten the guy was even here.

Spock Prime offers them both a kind smile, and raises his hand in the _ta’al_. “Good luck with your endeavours.” 

He starts down the stairs slowly, his old body not able to hurry down them like Jim was doing in his strop. He stops just as he’s passing by Spock. “It is best if you concluded your argument shortly. I am certain Sikon is still awaiting your return.”

“Don’t encourage this.” Jim tells him stiffly, eyebrow twitching. God, even the guy’s name has Jim on edge.

Spock Prime shoots Jim a sympathetic look. “Goodbye, Jim.”

Spock and Jim watch the guy slowly depart down the stairs, his figure getting smaller and smaller the further down the steps he goes until finally he reaches the bottom. Then, and only then, does Jim return his attention back to Spock. The guy’s already looking at him, and they’re locked into some sort of angry stare down, the silence stretching between them.

Jim licks his lips, then starts slowly. “What I saw in there… was indecent.”

Spock’s cheeks darken slightly, but he’s still stoic when he replies. “By your standards.”

“By _Vulcan_ standards.” Jim enunciates. “That Sikon guy was rubbing his hands all over yours, essentially making out with you out in the open, and you let him!”

“Yes.”

The speed of that reply has Jim jerking his head back. 

“Yes?”

“Is there an issue with your hearing capabilities, Jim?”

“No,” Jim snaps, miffed.

“Then you heard my answer the first time I said it.” Spock replies, his tone detached. But still, there’s that underlying tone of defiance.

Jim’s lips thin. He’s glaring daggers at Spock, but the guy looks unperturbed. The silence hanging between them is rife with tension, and Jim’s sure, absolutely sure, that one more smart-mouthed comment from Spock will send him into a fit of rage.

It’s therefore incredibly fortunate that instead of mouthing off, Spock seems to inhale deeply and calmly states, “I will be returning to the restaurant to conclude my evening with Sikon. You may wish to return with me, but it is not necessary for you to do so.”

With that, he turns around and heads back towards the restaurant. Jim’s eyes trail after him, following his every move as he makes his way all the way up the stairs and finally disappears through the door. The guy’s gone, but Jim can’t tear his gaze away from where he left off.

Several minutes pass where he’s just stood there, staring at the restaurant’s door, and it’s only once he feels the energy bubbling under his skin receding that he lets out a deep breath. The tension leaves his shoulders, but Jim still feels taut from worry. 

Giving his head a quick shake he decides against following Spock inside the restaurant. He may not know why he’s reacting so strongly right now, but he does know himself well enough to know not to push it. With a final look at the restaurant doors, Jim turns on his heels and heads down the stairs. 

Seriously, whose idea was it to put _all these fucking stairs here?_

*

Jim’s tossing and turning in his bed, unable to let his anger go. The incident from earlier is still weighing heavy up on his mind, and he just… he doesn’t _get it_.

He doesn’t get the whole situation; doesn’t get Spock Prime’s words, doesn’t get why Spock lets Sikon touch his hand and just make out with him like and just— he doesn’t _get it_. He keeps running the interaction through his head, unable to toss it aside and just sleep in peace. Why is he so obsessed with it?

Just because the image of Spock being with another person fills him with rage doesn’t mean he needs to look into it; Spock has loads of people he hangs with outside of Jim, so this shouldn’t be bothering him so much. And he… he thinks Spock must have had sexual partners before. He and Uhura used to date, so they probably did stuff, right? 

Honestly, Jim can’t really imagine them doing anything beyond PG-rated stuff, which is surprising because they’re both really good-looking. Uhura is like out of this world stunning, and Spock really is a handsome guy. But surely Spock must have had sex before. Jim can’t imagine this Sikon Vulcan being the first person Spock’ll ever have sex with. No way. He just can’t. 

Besides, how sexual are Vulcans? Are they the same as Humans or is it less… or more? Jim tosses on his side, frowning. From what he’s seen and knows they’re pretty damn rigid and cold, he just can’t imagine them being romantic in any sense. They probably aren’t very creative when it comes to love, or shower their partners with affection the same way Jim does. He’s actually got a very long list of conquests under his belt, loads of people that can vie for prowess; what the hell does this _Sikon_ guy have?

Besides, Jim knows Spock so much better. He knows the guy, knows how he likes to play chess when stressed, knows what his favourite food is, what his aspirations and fears are, and he’s confided in Jim just as Jim has confided in him. They have a strong, solid friendship, a bond like no other, and Jim’s never been this close to anyone before. Not even Bones, though he still considers Bones to be his best friend. But this is different though; it’s unique, and he’ll fight too and nail before he gives it up and…

This…

He needs to talk Spock.

   
It takes Jim a few minutes to figure out in which direction Spock’s room is, then another few to stealthily creep through the hallways so as to not wake anyone up. Honestly, when he’d thought of going to speak to Spock in the middle of the night, he really accounted in the fact that everyone else was probably going to be asleep. 

Still, he wasn’t one to be deterred. He does eventually find his way to Spock’s door, but only after his eyes have adjusted to the darkness some. Once he arrives, Jim knocks on the door three times, waiting with bated breath for some sort of reply. When there is none, he knocks again, then waits. 

Nothing.

He’s about to knock a third time when the door is finally pulled open. Jim can’t see much in the darkness, but he can make out that Spock is wearing trousers and tank top, which Jim reckons is his sleepwear.

“Jim.” He exclaims softly, surprised. His voice is kind of scratchy, probably from having just been woken up. His eyes drop to Jim’s chest, and he frowns. “Why are you not wearing a shirt?”

Jim glances down at his upper body before looking back at Spock. “I sleep like this. I find shirts too tight.”

The guy looks confused for a bit, but quickly recovers. “Why are you here?”

“Can I talk to you?” Jim whispers.

Spock is silent for a moment, then says, “If I tell you ‘no’, will you leave?”

Jim hesitates. “I don’t know.” He admits quietly.

There’s a stretch of silence, then Spock steps aside. “You may come in.”

Jim enters, letting Spock shut the door after him.

For some reason Jim had irrationally thought that maybe Spock had brought Sikon back with him after the date, but there’s no one else in the room from what he can see. He quickly glances over to the bathroom but the lights are off. 

So Spock is totally alone.

“So…” Jim starts, immediately trailing off.

Luckily, Spock’s always to pick up where he’s lacking.

“Why are you here, Jim?”

Jim gathers himself, trying not to fidget too much. “Who…” He starts, then breaks off. Shaking his head, Jim tries again. “Do you know which one of your prospects you like the most?”

There’s another stretch of silence, this one filled with tension.

Eventually, Spock quietly says, “I believe I do.”

“Who?”

Jim thinks he knows, but doesn’t want it to be so. He really doesn’t want it to be so, but he’s pretty sure it’s going to be so.

He knows, but still when Spock says it it’s a punch in the gut.

“I have chosen Sikon.”

“ _No!_ ” Jim hisses through clenched teeth. “Not him! You’ve just met Sikon once, how can you know from one meeting that you want to marry him?”

“I find him… fascinating.” Spock discloses, his cheeks tinging green.

Jim’s eyes narrow. “You mean bold?”

Spock chooses to ignore the question. “He is a highly intellectual individual with interests in xenocultural relations as well as linguistics. He also stated during our dinner that he would not wish to curb my desire to dedicate my life to my career, an act which I find to be extremely supportive.”

“Come on, Spock, you need to give it more time. You can’t just jump into a decision like this. I mean, this is the rest of your life you’re talking about. If you choose him now, you’ll be married to him for the rest of your life.”

Spock hesitates, then says, “I am well aware of that, Jim. Regardless of your obvious concerns, I believe him to be the most logical choice.”

Jim snorts.

Spock looks slightly affronted. “Do you find fault in my decision?”

Jim finds lots of faults, but he holds his tongue.

“You talk as if this guy knows you so well.”

“Due to your suggestions that we engage in a social engagement where the focus was each other, Sikon is in fact the one being who knows me the best out of all of the prospects.”

“Not true.” Jim shakes his head. “I know you better.”

Spock opens his mouth to retort, but then snaps it closed. He tilts his head with a curious look in his eyes, and it takes Jim several seconds before he realises what he’s just said. A feeling of dread washes over him.

“Um, what I mean is…” He starts awkwardly, averting his eyes. “Um.”

“Jim.”

Jim looks up at Spock. The guy has stepped closer.

“I was not aware you were in the running to be my spouse?”

Jim can feel his face heating up. “I… I didn’t either.”

A light frown mars Spock’s face. “Then why did you say…”

Jim crosses his arms and shrugs. “I don’t know.”

He’s getting real tired of these sudden silences, but they seem to be unavoidable where he and Spock are concerned; especially with this topic. With this… realisation.

Spock sounds tense when he suddenly declares, “Jim, please do not torment me in this way.”

Jim frowns at the guy. “What do you mean?”

“Surely…” Spock begins, then shakes his head in dismissal. “It is of no importance.”

“No, tell me,” Jim orders, taking a step forward.

“It is of no concern, Jim.” Spock repeats.

“Spock, tell me.” Jim pushes. “Didn’t you say you trusted me when we began this project?”

“I do.”

“Then show it. Tell me.” Jim pleads, then adds on, “Please.”

Spock looks at him for a long moment. Jim’s eyes are slowly getting accustomed to the darkness of this room, and he can just about make out small features about the man across from him. He can’t see things like eye colour or anything, but he can see that the guy is eying him with a pensive look.

“Jim… do you desire me?”

Jim’s eyes widen. “Woah, that came out of nowhere.” 

Spock is clearly displeased with his habit of falling back onto humour in uncomfortable situations, because he states, “Please answer the question.”

Jim worries his lips between his teeth, then quietly admits, “I don’t know.”

Spock looks… well, dejected. “I see.”

“Is that what you wanted to tell me? Honestly?” Jim prompts.

Spock opens his mouth, then slowly closes it. Jim waits, hoping he’ll say whatever it was he was going to say. Spock opens his mouth once more and quietly asks, “If I were to marry Sikon, would you be opposed?”

Jim stills. 

Yes.

Unequivocally yes.

His mind is screaming at him that he’ll have a huge fucking problem if Spock were to marry that, that _guy_ , and he really should know better than to go with some stranger, but… but he doesn’t say anything.

Jim’s silence must be answer enough, because Spock presses on. “Would you be unsupportive of our marriage?”

“I…” Jim begins, then swallows.

Something seems to change in Spock’s eyes, and his voice hardens slightly. “Does the thought of me with Sikon unsettle you?”

Jim clenches his jaw. 

He can see where Spock is going with this.

“Stop it,” He bites out.

“Are you disapproving of us engaging in, as you stated, ‘making out’?”

“Stop it.”

“What if we were to engage in something more scandalous, such as coi—”

Jim grabs Spock by the arms and hisses, “Spock, stop it!”

Just as quickly as he’s moved, Jim realises what he’s done. He sees his fingers gripping around Spock tightly, his knuckles white from how hard he’s holding the guy. He can’t… he can’t move. He’s in shock.

Spock quietly reaches up and pries Jim’s fingers from his arms, using his Vulcan strength to easily remove them. 

Jim’s hands fall to his sides, and he’s staring down at them, still unable to comprehend what he’s just done.

“I…” Jim starts, still in shock. “I had no idea.”

He looks up at Spock, and sees the guy’s eyes softening. His voice is quiet when he says, “If it placates your worries, know that I, too, desire you, Jim.”

Jim’s mouth drops open. “I…”

Spock keeps staring at him, his gaze warm.

Jim shuts his mouth and swallows, then tries again. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I just. I’ve never thought of you that way before…” He trails off.

There’s a beat of silence, then Spock is speaking. “If my gender is of any hindrance—“

“No, I don’t mean as in your gender,” Jim interjects. “I just mean, you as a person.” 

And wow, that was totally the wrong thing to say.

Spock’s face _cracks_. That’s really the only way to describe it.

Jim immediately rushes to apologise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—“

“That is quite alright.” Spock interrupts, and Jim knows it’s a lie. Knows it deep down in his bones. “It is late. Perhaps you should return to your bedroom.”

“Spock…”

“We are to depart tomorrow afternoon and must be well-rested.”

Jim stares at Spock, his heart beating fast in his chest. He doesn’t know what to do. He… Spock looks so vulnerable right now, and Jim, he doesn’t want to leave him. Can’t leave him.

“Jim.” Spock says, and God does he sound tired. “If you would please leave, now.”

Jim swallows once, nodding his head slowly. “You… you sure?”

“Please.”

That stings.

It really shouldn’t, Spock wanting him to leave. It’s understandable considering the situation, but still… 

Jim nods. “Alright.”

*

Jim’s quietly making his way through the hallway again, padding across the floor in an attempt to get back to his room unheard and unnoticed. It’s really not supposed to be that difficult, but his mind is still racing from the interaction just moments ago. It’s…

Jim had no idea he had such a problem with Spock getting married. Honestly. He wasn’t reacting this way when Spock asked him to help him find a spouse, didn’t react this way when the two of them were going through what traits Spock looked for in a guy, and he definitely didn’t feel this way when he was browsing through all those goddamn messages. 

Then why is he so worked up now.

Did he think it’d never happen? Was the idea of Spock getting married just too far-fetched, like some sort of fairytale?

Jim’s so confused. He cares about Spock, he cares about him a lot, but he doesn’t know if it’s as a friend or something else. Something more. He’s never imagined Spock as anything sexual, but maybe it’s because the guy himself hasn’t really shown it. Sure, he’s dated Uhura in the past, but they never progressed further than kissing. 

Not that Jim saw anyway.

And okay, in hindsight that’s kind of a dumb way to measure Spock’s sexual interest because of course the guy wasn’t going to have sex with his girlfriend in front of Jim. He also doesn’t seem like the type to brag after having sex, and Jim knows for a fact that Uhura isn’t either.

This still begs the question; can Jim see Spock in a sexual light? He knows he can see him as a friend, and he enjoys his company beyond any reasonable amount. Actually, the more Jim thinks about dating Spock the more the idea appeals to him. They already do most things couples do, like hang out, talk, go on outings together… shore leave and away missions totally count. So yeah, they already do all of that, and well… sex is essentially just sensations. 

Jim’s been with his fair share of partners in the past, of all genders, races, and kinks, that’s not a problem. What he’s struggling with is that he doesn’t know if Spock is sexually active, or even interested in sexual activity. He may be asexual. Jim’s never thought to ask, and if the guy is asexual Jim doesn’t want to force him into any situation he doesn’t want to be in. 

Jim’s not sure what he’ll do if Spock is asexual, but he’d like to think that he’d still be… he doesn’t know. A friend? For sure. Romantically interested? It’s looking like it. Could Jim be involved romantically though, without the addition of sex?

He really doesn’t know.

Jim likes sex, he really does, and he considers it to be a pretty big part of any relationship he’s in. If others don’t like it, that’s fine, that’s their preference and business; but for Jim… it’s kind of really important. He loves being with someone physically, touching them all around and exploring their body, and having them explore his body in return. It’s just an all-around amazing experience.

Can he though, for someone he truly cares about, ignore that and just be happy being in a relationship with them?

It takes Jim about thirty seconds to come to an answer, and he considers himself a bad person for admitting it, but no. He can’t.

Maybe Spock does deserve someone like Sikon, someone who can provide the mental stability that Spock needs as well as being a good spouse. After all, Jim wanted to find Spock the best of the best, and if this Sikon guy is that, then... well, who is Jim to interfere?

Hang on a minute, though. Jim distinctly, absolutely, positively, remembers Sikon making a move on Spock in the restaurant. There’s not a doubt in Jim’s mind that that happened because it sent him into a fit of rage. And Spock… He definitely showed an obvious reaction to Sikon’s advances, and if you went by those green cheeks of his it was definitely positive.

Does that… does that mean Spock is up for being sexual?

Is this really what Jim is agonising over? Whether Spock is up for sex or not? Holy shit, he really is a terrible person. But what’s even worse is that he can’t get that question out of his mind. It’s awful of him to keep pondering it, but he’s so curious, and all of these sudden realisations and feelings he’s been having are really doing his head in. They’re so difficult to figure out, and he’s barely made it back to his room when he decides that, you know what, he needs to confront Spock about this.

*

Jim finds himself once more outside Spock’s room, the trek over much easier this time around. He lifts his fist over the door and raps on the door three times, just like the first time he came around.

There’s no reply, and Jim can’t hear anything from the other side of the door. He contemplates knocking again, but is unsure if he should. What if Spock’s gone back to bed? Would he appreciate Jim waking him up a second time? Probably not. But he just, he just needs to _know_.

Before he can change his mind Jim knocks again, quickly hiding his hands behind his back once he’s done. He still can’t hear anything. His shoulders sag in dejection. Spock must’ve gone to bed then. Fuck, that means he’ll have to wait until morning to figure out his feeling regarding Spock, and by then he might have chickened out? This is _fucking terr—_

The door suddenly swings open.

Jim’s eyes focus in on the figure standing in the threshold; Spock already looks drained when he opens the door, but it seems to double when he sees who is standing on the other side.

“Jim. You must desist this.” He utters, voice quiet.

Jim opens his mouth, intending to say something, anything, but nothing comes out. Instead silence drops over them, enveloping them like a hug. Several moments pass where they do nothing but stare at each other in the darkness.

Suddenly Jim swoops in and kisses Spock. The guy flinches and pulls back.

“Jim, what are you—“

Jim goes back in for another kiss, his hands on Spock’s neck. He sends every feeling he thought of while sneaking through the hallways, pouring it all out for Spock to see. Everything.

Spock gasps. “Jim.”

He moves back, but Jim pulls him in again. Spock abruptly tenses, but the next moment he’s melting into the kiss. 

His lips are both different and not at all different from any being Jim’s been with before. It’s interesting, but he doesn’t give it any more thought beyond that. Spock’s eager, pressing close into Jim and moving his mouth over his own. His energy sends a tingle down Jim’s back, and he briefly wonders how far Spock’s gotten with anyone. That part of his brain really needs to child out right now.

Spock’s hands fall down onto Jim’s hips, then slowly slide up above his ass to settle on his waist. Jim can feel the warmth emanating from them, searing into his skin. It’s really fucking nice, and he finds his own hands curling around into the back of Spock’s head. The strands are soft and smooth, allowing for Jim to dig his fingers in and get a decent grip to tilt Spock’s head a certain way. He opens his mouth and gets his tongue involved, delving inside the other’s mouth to get more of a taste.

Spock emits a low moan, and the sound is like music to Jim’s ears. He can feel himself harden in his pyjama trousers. He deepens the kiss and Spock returns it with a happy sigh, leaning into Jim and rubbing his thumbs gently over his waist. It’s nice. It’s really nice, but Jim kind of wants more. He’s really loving this make out session with Spock, he really is, but he wants to get the guy more horizontal and preferably beneath him. Jim can just imagine laying over Spock, his hard, solid body radiating heat as they continue to kiss, and touch, and discover one another.

It’s hard to pull away from the kiss, but Jim manages to do it long enough to murmur, “Can I fuck you?”

Spock shudders, and Jim thinks that’s answer enough. Still, he waits, needing verbal confirmation.

Spock nods fervently, his eyes screwed shut. “Yes. Please, yes.”

Jim is awed at the response; it’s just… very real. It makes him wonder if Spock has wanted this for a time, and if so, why hadn’t he said anything? 

That’s kind of an intense line of thinking for Jim to partake in right now, so he pushes that thought away in favour of the distraction that is Spock’s lips, latching onto them once more with renewed efforts. God, Jim forgot how much he loves kissing. It’s so easy and unhurried, just locking lips with someone for as long as you want. It’s so good.

His hands fall from Spock’s neck and make their way underneath his tank top, his fingers trailing up the abdomen to push the garment up. Spock’s body is like a furnace, and Jim’s loving it in all sorts of ways. He manages to get the tank top up to Spock’s armpits, at which point the guy needs to sadly detach both his lips and hands from Jim so that they can get it off. 

Jim lets it drop to the floor, eyes never leaving Spock as he gently runs his hands over his chest. He’s got more hair than Jim does, and the muscle is evident under the palm of his hands. Jim gently latches back onto Spock’s lips and pushes the guy back, walking him towards the bed. They fall onto the mattress with a light ‘thwump’, their kiss breaking briefly before they’re back on one another once more. 

Yeah, this kissing thing is really reminding Jim that sex is nothing more than sensations, at least where he’s considered. Spock is his friend, his first officer and once enemy, but he’s also someone Jim can’t seem to get enough of. He meets Jim’s fervour with his own, pushing against him and angling his head every which way so that they can keep kissing deeper. It’s absolutely wonderful.

Jim’s fingers trail down to the hem of Spock’s pyjama trousers, and the guy must get the hint because he lies himself down on his back and lifts his hips. Jim unfortunately has to break their kiss, _again_ , so that he can pull the trousers off of Jim. He fully intends to just toss them over his shoulder and return to plastering himself all over Spock, but when he gets the trousers down mid-thigh he suddenly freezes.

Jim slams his eyes shut. “Oh God.”

Spock is looking up at him, licking his lips. “What is the matter, Jim?”

Jim reverently runs his hand down Spock’s thigh, pushing the trousers down to his knee. “You’re not wearing underwear.”

Spock flushes, but he still manages to get out in a reasonable tone, “I find them a hindrance.”

Jim continues to run his hand up and down his thigh, his eyes catching Spock’s gaze. “I just gotta know, Spock; do you wear any when on duty?”

The ensuing silence tells Jim exactly what he needs to know.

“ _Fuck_.” He hisses, squeezing Spock’s thigh. The muscle under his palm is firm, and Jim kind of really wants that hugging him around his waist as he fucks into Spock.

Spock lets out a low moan which goes straight to Jim’s crotch. He makes quick work of the trousers, disposing of them somewhere in the room before returning to the man laid out before him. Jim eagerly runs his hand up to Spock’s knee and gently pushes his leg open, leaning down to nip at the flesh on the inside of the thigh. Spock gently rolls his hips and Jim snorts out a small laugh. 

“You like that?”

“It is not displeasing.” Spock murmurs, voice deep, and damn it if that doesn’t do things to Jim.

He continues to nip at Spock’s thigh, switching to the other one as his fingers trail down to his crotch. They come into contact with something slick, but it’s not his cock. Jim pokes at it, and feels Spock’s body tense. He pulls away from his thigh, frowning as he looks to Spock’s crotch.

The guy’s dick is more than half-hard and flushed dark, but that’s not what’s caught Jim’s attention. Right below, where on a Human there would be two balls, there are some folds surrounding Spock’s cock. They’re velvety to the touch, and pretty wet, making Jim touch them more.

“What is this?” He breathes, dragging his fingers through the folds. They’re getting really soaked, coated in the substance, and Jim can’t help but make a bit of a mess by running them down Spock’s perineum.

Spock gasps, then answers in a tight voice, “They are my protective folds.”

“You’re so wet…” Jim murmurs, entranced. He kind of feels himself salivating as he watches his fingers glide through the folds, the substance sluicing down his digits.

“It is natural lubrication to aid during Vulcan mating.” Spock explains tersely. His thighs have begun trembling in Jim’s hand, and he can feel the muscle tensing repeatedly in his grip.

“You guys do things rough?” Jim grins filthily, stroking Spock’s folds some more.

Spock’s breath hitches, and his hips thrust up.

Jim chuckles lowly, pulling his fingers away from Spock’s folds. He reaches for the guy’s cock, wrapping his hand around it and starts pumping slowly. He gives a quick thanks to the Vulcan evolution that Spock’s physiology allows him natural lubricant so there won’t be any chafing; it’s just so much easier this way, and there’s no need to invest in buying synthetic lube.

Jim keeps slowly dragging his hand up and down Spock’s cock, the man emitting a continuous moan as he does so. The sound is beautiful and spurs Jim on, causing him to increase his strokes and tighten his fist as he reaches the base. Jim especially makes sure to rub his thumb over the slit every time he strokes up, because it causes Spock to let out a sharp moan. Jim sees the guy suddenly bite his lip, and he frowns.

“No, no,” He chides, giving his next stroke a particular twist. “Don’t try to be quiet. I want to hear you.”

Spock shakes his head, refusing to let go of his lip. Jim ceases his pumping and Spock’s hips undulate up, trying to weakly prompt him into resuming his actions.

“Not until you stop trying to keep quiet.” Jim tells him, lightly dragging his nails over Spock’s abdomen. His hands are still slick from the natural lubricant, and the combination of nails and wetness causes the guy’s abdomen to spasm.

“Jim, please,” He pleads. “Resume…”

Jim shakes his head, and leans up so that his body covers Spock’s. 

“No can do, sweetheart.” He murmurs, pecking him on the lips. “I kind of really want to hear you moan.”

Spock shoots him an imploring look, and that sight alone has Jim diving in for another kiss. Spock just looks so damn cute like that, his eyes begging Jim to just _touch him, please_. Spock eagerly returns the kiss, his fingers running up Jim’s arm and momentarily stopping at his biceps. Jim can feel the guy gently squeezing them, and he deepens their kiss. There’s nothing he likes more than when his partner shows fascination with his body, wanting to touch and lick like they’re exploring an undiscovered planet.

Spock’s fingers lightly trail further up his arm, briefly sending a tingle through his neck, and then they’re threading through the back of his hair and clinging on. Jim moans into the kiss, and Spock surges up to deepen it. It’s so fucking hot, and Jim can’t help rolling his hips. The action reminds him that he’s neglected Spock’s dick for his lips, and he reaches his hand back to grip around the limb again. 

He can’t really blame Spock for not making any noise this time since his lips are quite busy with Jim’s owns, and he has no plans of letting them go anytime soon. They taste damn sweet, and Jim can’t seem to get enough of them. He licks at them, gently tugging them between his teeth as he pulls back before diving back in to continue the kiss. It’s slow, and languid, and Jim feels his pleasure simmer and grow beneath his skin.

His hand continues to stroke Spock’s cock, squeezing tighter when Spock’s hips thrust up in return. He increases his speed, loving the way it makes Spock pull away from the kiss, throw his head back and let out a soft gasp. Jim peppers his neck with a few quick kisses, and he can feel Spock’s fingers tighten in his hair. Jim lets out a deep groan, burying his nose in the crook of the guy’s neck.

He absolutely loves it when people touch his head; it’s some sort of weird erogenous zone, but it always gets him super hard, super fast. Jim lightly drags his teeth over Spock’s neck and up to his jawline, nipping at the flesh there briefly before pulling back and propping himself up on his elbows.

Spock is gorgeous like this.

Like, seriously gorgeous. Jim can’t see all that he wants to since there’s no light in the room, but the darkness itself adds hidden beauty to Spock’s body. It’s like Jim is experiencing a bit of sensory deprivation, his sight not as sharp as it usually is; he just has to go by touch and taste, by smell and sound to figure out what he likes about Spock’s body, as well as what the guy yearns for in return.

It really is a shame Jim can’t see him properly, but this means that they’ll be able to try things out in the future. Loads of different things, and in loads of different places, ways, and positions. Jim can’t get a particular image out of his head, one where Spock’s bent over with his ass on display, and Jim’s pulling his cheeks apart and watching himself slowly disappearing inside that hot body.

The idea makes him giddy with delight, and Spock suddenly keens, muttering a stressed, “Jim, please.”

“What is it?” Jim whispers, licking his lips. He thinks he can make out Spock’s lips being tinted green, and holy hell, he had no idea that was possible. It makes sense though, what with the guy being green-blooded and all.

Spock swallows and lifts his head, catching Jim’s eyes. It could just be Jim’s imagination, but they look dark. Like, so, so dark; darker than usual. 

“Contain your thoughts.” Spock tells him, and his voice is rough. Jim knows he has a thing for deep, scratchy voices, but Spock’s seems to be a special kind.

“I am?” He says, confused.

“You are not. I can hear your thoughts.”

Jim’s eyebrows furrow and he opens his mouth to ask how, but then his eyes widen in realisation.

Spock’s a fucking touch telepath.

Anything that goes through Jim’s mind right now, absolutely anything— every single dirty thought he has in regards to Spock and what he wants to do to him— is immediately transferred to the guy.

Jim can’t believe he forgot Spock’s a touch telepath. That’s what he’d relied on when he basically tried to explain his feelings to the guy. How thick can Jim be, honestly. The pleasure must really be getting to his head.

Jim’s grin is slow and dirty, and he buries his face back in Spock’s neck, inhaling his scent. “I can’t help it. I just want you so bad.”

Spock groans, and Jim takes the opportunity to sink his teeth into Spock’s neck, delighting in the way gasps and then cranes his neck to allow him better access. Jim sucks on the skin there, making a hickey because it’ll take too damn long. He switches to worrying at the flesh between his teeth before soothing it with strokes of his tongue.

“You certainly enjoy… biting.” Spock hums, his fingers running down Jim’s back. The guy’s grip is strong, and Jim can’t help rolling his hips at that.

Jim hums in reply, continuing his ministrations. He feels Spock’s cock spurt lightly into his hand, and he removes himself. He trails his fingers down to Spock’s folds and gets about coating his fingers in the lubricant again. Spock’s fingers tighten on Jim’s back, and he laughs into the guy’s neck.

“You don’t like that?” He murmurs.

“It is immensely pleasing.” Spock groans.

“You’ll come if I keep touching your folds?”

Spock nods fervently, and Jim can feel the guy swallow. He hums in response, then removes his fingers. Slowly, he runs them down his perineum, and keeps going until he reaches Spock’s hole.

“What if I touch you here? Will you come then?”

Spock’s hips roll up and he shakes his head, but his fingers tighten on Jim’s back. The guy clearly will be coming soon; he’s wired up real tight, but still wants his ass played with.

Jim uses the pad of his finger to spread some of the lubricant around Spock’s hole, feeling the muscle twitch beneath his touch. He pulls away from Spock’s neck and gives him a deep kiss, sliding his finger in to the first knuckle at the same time. 

It’s so fucking tight in there, and Jim delights at the warm, pushing his finger further in to feel it more. Spock presses into their kiss, his hands having made base at Jim’s hips. He can feel the warm weight of them there, a solid, comfortable reminder of who Jim has beneath him.

He slides his finger in and out several times, loving the way Spock feels. After a moment he wriggles in a second one, and the way Spock’s hole clenches around them is so fucking good Jim has to briefly break the kiss. He rests his forehead against Spock’s, letting his eyes fall shut and taking a deep breath. He keeps pulling his fingers in and out of the guy’s hole, relishing the way the muscle tries to keep them in. He begins slowly scissoring them, trying to loosen Spock up for what’s to come.

“You’re so greedy.” Jim breathes in awe.

Spock shudders beneath him, his fingers digging into Jim’s waist and his hole clenching around his fingers. It’s beautiful.

Jim adds a third finger, and the way that feels is such a sweet promise of what will happen soon. He can’t help imagining what it’ll be like to throw Spock’s legs over his waist and slowly sink into that sweet, blissful heat. He pulls back from Spock’s forehead, and the guy’s fingers fall from his waist. It’s a sad loss, but Jim thinks he makes up for it when he engulfs Spock cock in his mouth and his fingers are suddenly right back in his hair, pulling at the strands.

The guy is crazy strong, and there is some soreness from how he’s hanging on, but damn it if that doesn’t spur Jim on. He sucks on Spock’s dick, pressing his tongue up against the shaft and slowly pulling off with a particularly hard suck whenever he reaches the tip. Spock keens, and the sound has Jim increasing his suction while simultaneously pumping his fingers in and out of him. Spock’s dick feels more velvety than a Humans, and the flesh isn’t as sturdy. It’s different, but definitely not unwelcome.

Jim only stops when he feels Spock spurt a bit, not wanting the guy to cum right now. No, not at all. He has other plans for him, involving his dick thrusting deep, _deep_ inside of him.

“ _Jim,_ ” Spock gasps, a full body shudder wracking through him.

“Oh, you got that?” Jim asks innocently with a shit-eating grin. 

Spock throws him an irritated look, and before Jim knows it his head is being manoeuvred back over Spock’s dick.

“You have not yet finished.” Spock tells him, and hot damn, Jim didn’t realise a bossy Spock was such a turn on. 

Jim hums in reply, the vibrations doing things to the guy which apparently drive him crazy if the way his thighs tighten around Jim’s head are any indication. It’s damn sexy, and he feels his dick jump in interest. 

“Add a fourth finger.” Spock instructs through clenched teeth, and yeah, Jim can really dig this pushy Spock. He can see this becoming a problem on the bridge though, wherein if Spock instructs him to do something chances are it’ll lead to an instant boner which he won’t be comfortable explaining to the rest of the crew.

“ _Jim_ ,” Spock pants. ”Stop thinking such things.”

Jim only gives another particularly powerful suck in response, and nearly gags from the way Spock’s hips soar up. He can feel it in the back of his throat, but damn, if he’s not painfully turned on right now. He works a fourth finger into Spock, pulling them all in and out of the guy in an achingly slow fashion. 

He continues doing so, leisurely sucking Spock off as he opens him up in preparation for his dick, and after a while the guy is just perpetually trembling. It’s fucking amazing, the way his body is shaking from anticipation.

“Jim,” Spock murmurs. “Penetrate me.”

Jim’s cock jumps at the words, and he gives Spock’s cock one last swallow before pulling off. He makes sure to lick his lips, wanting to savour the taste on his tongue.

“Anything you want.” He growls, moving back so that he’s sat on his haunches. 

Jim gently pulls his fingers out, biting his lip at the wet squelch it makes. He hurriedly slips out of his pyjama trousers and boxers, throwing them somewhere to the side before returning to the task at hand. 

“Condom?” He asks.

Spock shakes his head in return. “I wish to feel you climax inside me.”

Jim immediately scrabbles for the base of his cock, holding it tight as he tries to calm himself down. _Fuck_ , does Spock have any idea how he sounds?

“You can’t just say shit like that,” Jim grits out, tightening his hold around his cock. He is _not_ allowed to come yet. Not yet.

“Then hurry.” Spock pleads.

Jim doesn’t need to be told twice. He jumps into action, using the same hand that was opening Spock up to wrap around his own cock and giving it a few strong strokes. He’s then grabbing Spock’s strong thighs and placing them securely around his waist, briefly running his hands through the coarse hair there. Jim inches forward, positioning his dick at Spock’s twitching hole which is already rather loose from his fingers. The image has already seared into the back of his mind, great fodder material for his jerking off sessions.

He watches as his cock slowly sinks into Spock, watches as that greedy hole stretches wide and pulls him deep inside. Jim’s breathing is coming in short, his self-control incredibly poor. Maybe he shouldn’t watch. Maybe he should look away.

Fuck that; there’s no way in hell he could look away. Not with the way Spock bottoms out so beautifully, the heat surrounding Jim’s dick more perfect than anything he’s ever experienced before. It’s fucking _magnficient_.

Jim stays still once he’s all the way in, simple gripping Spock’s thighs in his hands as he attempts to gain some semblance of control. He doesn’t want to move just yet, not until he can calm himself down enough to fuck Spock without coming after thirty seconds.

“Jim, move,” Spock orders, lifting his hips.

“Just a sec,” Jim gets out, licking his lips. He looks to the guy and sees he’s already got his gaze locked on Jim, breath coming in short pants.

Spock groans, reaching his hand forward and pawing at Jim’s arm. He’s so eager like that, it actually causes Jim to chuckle.

“Just a minute, baby.” He repeats, but that doesn’t seem to be good enough for Spock. He looks at Jim then shuts his eyes, looking focused. Jim has exactly two seconds to be confused about that before he suddenly gets a rush of images of Spock and Sikon in various positions; fucking from the back, riding, fucking up against the wall, sixty-nineing, and so many more. 

Jim feels his blood burning with rage, and his grip on Spock’s thighs harden. The guy lets out a whimper, and Jim’s gaze immediately shoots down at him. 

He glares at Spock and spits out, “You fucker.”

Spock is meeting his glare head on, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “I believe I will take my punishment now.”

“Damn right, you’ll take your punishment,” Jim grits out. He pulls Spock’s thighs closer around his waist, lifting his hips so that they settle properly on his thighs, then sets about fucking Spock within an inch of his life.

He’s so tight; so, so fucking right, and it’s glorious. Jim feels hot all around, but it’s especially scorching around his dick where it’s buried inside of Spock. He makes sure he has a good hold on the guy when he pulls out slowly, then moves back in, increasing his speed until he’s slamming inside of Spock, his balls slapping against the guy’s ass. Jim’s mouth is hanging open and he’s breathing heavily, the exertion getting to him. Spock’s heavier than he thought, and he vaguely recalls the guy saying something about Vulcans being heavier.

“Higher density.” Spock pants out.

Jim pulls out and thrusts back in extra hard, making sure Spock feels that one. “If you’re coherent I’m clearly not doing my job.”

“You are not.” Spock agrees with a gasp. He reaches back over his head and grips at the sheets, his knuckles turning read as they dig into the fabric.

The words have Jim faltering briefly. “Did you just…”

“Do not stop.” Spock orders, and his thighs tighten around Jim, causing him to let out a drawn-out groan. Fuck, that feels as good as he imagined. Spock’s thighs are fucking gorgeous, all muscled and strong, and squeezing Jim just so when he’s being fucked so thoroughly. 

He starts up his thrusting again, trying to get a good grip on the sheets so he doesn’t slide off. He keeps moving forward, each slam into Spock’s body propelling his body further up into his lap. He’s fucking nailing this.

“Harder,” Spock grits out. “Are you even trying, Jim?”

Jim halts briefly, his eyes locking on Spock’s. “You are the mouthiest—“ 

He leans up on his knees, lifting Spock’s hips up even more. His dick slips halfway out, but Jim recovers by keeping it in place with his own thighs. He takes a hold of Spock’s legs, removes them from around his waist and throws them over his shoulders before sinking back into the tight heat. Jim uses the leverage to lean over Spock, bending the guy nearly in half.

Then, he begins thrusting.

The angle is amazing, allowing himself to get even more balls deep inside of Spock. The heat is just as good, if not better like this, and from the way Spock’s fingers tighten in the sheets he’s clearly loving this new position too. Jim continues to slam inside, his thrusts increasing. He can feel Spock’s walls tighten around his cock, trying to keep him in whenever he pulls out. It’s fucking sexy as hell and he’s quickly losing grasp of his self-control.

Jim hitches Spock’s legs further up, grabbing a hold of his thighs and forcing him down onto his dick with every push he gives. Spock, the beautiful bastard, is meeting Jim’s thrusts with his own, his legs tightening around his head. The drag of his cock inside of Spock is glorious, and from the way it’s tightening he knows Spock’s close to coming.

Jim slams into Spock several more times, his thrusts turning erratic, and a few moments later he gives one, final thrust, burying himself deep inside Spock and shuddering through his climax. His vision blanks for just a moment, sweat dripping down over his brow as his hips press closely against Spock’s buttocks. The feeling of Jim’s semen shooting inside of the guy must do something to him, because in the next moment Spock’s throwing his head back as his mouth falls open a silent scream.

That, Jim thinks, is one hell of a stroke for his ego.

Spock climaxes, his dick shooting spurts of semen over his chest and the top of his thighs. Jim catches some of it on his chest, and _fuck_ , it’s burning. It’s so fucking hot, like being scorched by fire, but it’s hard to focus on that when Spock’s entire body is shaking from his climax. Spock’s hole spasms around Jim’s dick, causing him to hiss, but it’s a pleasurable pain that he has no plans of pulling out of. The legs around Jim’s head tighten so hard that he thinks his vision is going to go blank again, but just as soon they fall lax. Jim can feel Spock’s inner walls still clenching around his softening dick, and fuck, he realises the guy’s milking him.

Jim drops his head with a groan. “Fuck, Spock, you dirty slut.”

Spock hums in reply, his legs falling off of Jim’s shoulders. The guy’s breathing is fast, but it’s slowly starting to settle back down to normal. Jim gently takes a hold of Spock’s ankles, taking them down and placing them on the bed. He doesn’t really feel like pulling out of Spock just yet, so he makes sure the guy’s legs are splayed open enough for him to lean forward and lay his head on Spock’s chest.

They lay there like that for a few moments, their hard breathing returning to normal. Spock is still super hot to the touch, but Jim can feel him cooling back to his usual body temperature. He hadn’t actually seen Spock sweat during sex, but from the wetness Jim can feel where he’s plastered over the guy’s body he must have at some point. Or maybe that’s just Jim’s sweat. That’s entirely possible too.

Spock’s hole clenches down on Jim’s dick again, and Jim hisses.

“You’re really trying to milk me, aren’t you?”

Spock’s hands gently run up Jim’s back, causing goosebumps to erupt in their wake. “I enjoy the sensation of your semen inside of me.”

Jim shivers, and he can’t help the way his dick jumps at that. “Just my semen, is it?”

He can feel Spock nod slowly. “Just yours.”

The words cause Jim to inwardly preen, some sort of animalistic part loving the fact that it’s just him Spock wants inside of himself. Not Sikon’s, not anyone else’s but _his_.

They lay there some more, allowing them both to cool down as Spock’s fingers gently stroke through Jim’s hair. It’s nice, and he really feels he could fall asleep like this, being lulled to sleep by soft fingers in his hair and his dick buried inside of his Vulcan.

After a few minutes Jim can feel Spock stirring beneath him, trying to sit up.

He frowns. “What’re you doing?”

“I am simply intending to retrieve paper towels from the bathroom.” Spock explains.

“Do you have to?” Jim complains, rubbing his face against Spock’s chest. It’s nice, and the hair isn’t as thick as he thought it would be. They really need to have sex with the lights on at some point so Jim can actually see and map Spock’s body out. Preferably with his tongue.

“Jim.” Spock intones.

Right. Touch telepath.

“Don’t lie, you love it.” Jim argues fondly. “You like hearing the things I want to do to you.”

From Spock’s silence Jim knows he’s right.

“Jim, I must still retrieve paper towels.”

Jim lets out a sigh. “It’s fine, I’ll do it.”

“It is not necess—“

Jim interrupts him with a quick kiss, then pulls away with a smile. “Seriously, it’s fine. I’ll do it.”

Spock looks at Jim, then gives a curt nod in return. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Jim replies. He gets up onto his elbows, then slowly pulls out of Spock. The glide of his dick hurts a bit now, the thing still sensitive from having climaxed not long ago. It was well worth it though. Spock lets out a soft sigh as Jim pulls fully out, his legs still splayed wide open in clear invitation. It’s really hard for Jim to not sink back inside, but instead get to his knees and step off of the bed.

He doesn’t know if Spock’s legs are in working order, but he’d like to think he fucked the guy so good he’s still incapable of walking for a while. 

Jim walks into the bathroom and switches on the light, grabbing the toilet roll and bringing it back to Spock who is stretched out on the bed.

“Tired?” Jim asks, pulling off a few sheets of toilet paper.

Spock nods slowly, and begins to sit up.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Jim soothes, then begins wiping up the cum on his body. For once Spock doesn’t argue, but allows himself to be cleaned by Jim. It doesn’t take longer than a few seconds, and when he’s done Jim quickly wipes down his own quick.

His eyes flicker to Spock’s ass. “Should I—“

Spock interrupts him instantly with a, “Leave it.”

“You sure?”

Spock nods once. “I want the reminder.”

Jim’s eyes darken at the words, and he can feel lust boiling under his skin again. “It’ll be uncomfortable when it dries.”

“It is of no concern.” Spock returns casually, avoiding Jim’s eyes, but there’s a tint of green to his cheeks. Man, Spock is so going to be the death of him.

Jim leaves the toilet roll on the floor by the bed, then gets in next to Spock. He pulls the covers out from underneath them and lets it fall over them both, then immediately turns to wrap himself around Spock like an octopus.

“You are increasingly close.” Spock comments.

“Comes with the territory.”

“I am not sure I understand.”

Jim shrugs. “You don’t have to. I don’t either, to be honest.”

There’s a comfortable silence hanging in the air, the two of them basking in the aftermath of their coupling. It’s easy, and nice, and even though Jim doesn’t want to ruin the atmosphere right now, he kind of has to.

He uncertainly hedges, “So, you’re not going to marry Sikon, are you?”

He can hear Spock’s small sigh. “Did my previous actions indicate that I would?”

“No,” Jim returns petulantly. “But your words did.”

Spock turns to face him, his eyes catching on Jim’s own. “Jim. Unless I have misinterpreted this, you have some genuine interest in me.”

There’s a brief moment where there’s nothing, then Jim finally admits, “I do.” 

He does. He really does. He totally has the hots for Spock. It’d be damn near impossible denying it now anyway since he’d just boned the guy. Oh God, Bones. How was he going to explain this to him?

“I am certain doctor McCoy and everyone else on the _Enterprise_ is fully aware of your latent attraction to me. Now please desist from thinking about the doctor.” Spock inputs.

Jim can’t help the grin that comes across him. “Does thinking about Bones after we just fucked make you uncomfortable?”

“Immensely.” Spock says tersely.

Jim chuckles. “Alright, I won’t think about him. Let’s go back to what we were talking about before.”

“Your belief that I still intend to marry Sikon.”

“Yeah, that.”

“Jim,” Spock starts, and he even sounds exasperated. “It will not occur.”

“You’re sure?” Jim asks, still a bit uncertain. Sure, they’ve just had sex, but that doesn’t mean Spock has to stick with Jim. He could very easily go marry Sikon like he said he would.

The thought still makes Jim’s blood burn with jealousy.

“To be truthful, it depends entirely on yourself.”

“Me?”

“Yes, Jim. What do you wish from our relationship?”

Surprisingly Jim doesn’t need long to think about it. His earlier thoughts from the hallway are still hanging around in his head, and it’s easy for him to admit the truth. “I don’t want to share you with anyone.”

Apparently Spock isn’t too happy with that answer. “Then you simply want me so that no one else can have me.”

“No, no, what? No, don’t twist my words.” Jim defends, sitting up slightly. “What I mean is… what I mean is that I want to be with you. I like the idea of being with you, and… I just like being with you.”

“Do you wish to continue our previous relationship?”

Jim tilts his head, looking thoughtful. “…Yes and no. I like how our relationship was before we, you know, banged, but I wouldn’t be opposed to doing more of this.”

“Then you are not averse to becoming involved with me romantically?”

Jim huffs out a laugh. “Surprisingly, not even a little bit.”

Spock is looking at him, his brown eyes soft.

“You okay with that?”

“More than is appropriate.”

Jim smiles shyly, averting his eyes. “Awesome.” 

He can’t see the expression on Spock’s face, but the guy’s fingers thread through his hair, gently combing through the strands. It’s nice, and Jim elicits a low hum.

“I’m just wondering…”

“Yes, Jim?”

“When you gave me this task, you know, of finding you a spouse. Did you know I was the one you wanted to be with?” He asks, tilting his head up slightly. The action causes Spock’s fingers to dig into his scalp, but the sensation’s not unwelcome.

Spock levels him with an incredulous look.

“I mean— okay, that was kind of dumb, of course you knew you liked me. But did you… was this like a trick to get me to notice you?”

“It was not.”

“Oh. Okay.” Jim falls quiet. “I don’t know what I was expecting from that question.”

“Jim, I did not lie when I said a Vulcan’s mind deteriorates unless they have a partner with whom they can go undergo mind melds with.”

Jim sits up suddenly. “Hang on, is that going to happen to you still?”

“Unless you are opposed to engaging in mind melds, then yes.”

“I’m not opposed.” Jim denies hurriedly.

“Then it will not occur.”

Jim’s shoulders ease with relief. “Cool. And it’s okay that I’m not a Vulcan?”

“I would not have you any other way.”

Jim blushes. “Man, you’re too sweet. It’s unnerving.”

Spock looks at Jim in a certain way, like he simultaneously can’t believe he exists but also despairs his existence. It’s a real niche look, and Jim’s not surprised Spock’s nailing it. 

The guy ploughs on, a thread of amusement in his voice. “As to whether I intended for you to, as you say, ‘notice me’, during this task, I did not. I genuinely believe you to be someone I hold dear to me, and so it only made sense that I entrust you with finding me a spouse.”

“Did it… feel weird asking that of me?”

“It did, but I had no choice. I could not allow my feelings for you to interfere with my mental health.”

Jim nods slowly. That’s good. 

He really wouldn’t have wanted Spock to ignore his mental health in favour of something that might not come true. At least, at the time it wouldn’t have. Jim hates to admit it, but it took a lot of hints being thrown in his face before he even hesitantly acknowledged what he was feeling, and in the end it was actually seeing Spock with someone else that clued him in on what he truly feels towards Spock.

Jim suddenly sobers up and looks to the guy. “Hey Spock, does this mean we have to get married?”

“I would hope eventually we would.”

Jim frowns. “What do you mean ‘eventually’?”

“Just because a spouse has been determined for me, it does not mean I will wed them immediately. The length of time before getting married is solely up to the individuals involved.” Spock explains serenely.

Jim stares at the guy, his mouth hanging open in shock. It’s several moments before he manages to shut it successfully.

“You deliberately left out all that information when you told me about the spouse hunt thing!” He accuses.

“What would be the logic in that?” Spock asks innocently.

Jim’s jaw clenches, and he just glares at Spock for a very, very long time. Eventually, he calmly says, “I don’t know how, but you’re a little shit.”

“Of course, Jim.”

Spock’s hands gently press Jim’s head down, directing it back onto his chest. Jim allows himself to be manoeuvred there, only because Spock’s chest is a really nice replacement for a pillow. A nice, warm replacement.

All of a sudden his head rears back up.

“Wait, hang on a minute. I went through all that trouble to find you a spouse, and in the end _you_ propose to _me_?” Jim asks incredulously. “I didn’t even know that was an option!”

Spock pushes Jim’s head back onto his chest and quietly murmurs, “Jim, please sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously need to cut down on my sex scenes.
> 
> So, this one's now finished too! :D I hope you guys enjoyed it (especially oblivious to the end Jim), and to everyone who stuck with it from the beginning, you're all fabulous and I love you dearly! <3
> 
> Also, I just didn't have the energy to properly proofread this, so there's bound to be grammar mistakes, pacing errors and some continuity errors. If you find that, please tell me so I can amend that asap :) Thank you!


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